


The Marvel that is Spider-Man

by Kamikaze132



Series: The Sensational Spider-Man [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Comicverse), Spider-Man (Video Game 2018), Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Genre: Action, Adult Peter Parker, BAMF Peter Parker, BAMF Tony Stark, Experienced Spider man, F/M, Genius Peter Parker, Gwen Stacy is Spider-Woman, Gwen Stacy is a rookie, Happy Ending, Like insanely smart, Mentor Spider-Man, Precious Gwen Stacy, Romance, Smart Peter Parker
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-09
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:40:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 76,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22147309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kamikaze132/pseuds/Kamikaze132
Summary: For a long time, I've been reading spidey fics that have always portrayed Peter Parker as a shy, immature teenager who seems to be overly reliant on Tony Stark. And while those I can enjoy, I yearn for a fic that portrays a mature, grown up and confident Peter Parker who can stand without Tony Stark supporting him.What if, instead of meeting a shy, cocky, immature Peter Parker, Tony Stark met a man whose intelligence rivals his own, and who knows exactly what he's doing?This story is about a Peter Parker who is confident, sassy, not afraid to let his intelligence shine through, and a spider man who can handle just about anything.
Relationships: Max Modell & Peter Parker, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Peter Parker & Mary Jane Watson, Peter Parker & Natasha Romanov, Peter Parker and Pepper Potts, Peter Parker and Tony Stark, Peter Parker/Gwen Stacy
Series: The Sensational Spider-Man [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1595194
Comments: 227
Kudos: 946





	1. Powers of AU Spiderman

**Author's Note:**

> Name: Peter Parker  
> Age: 22 years old  
> IQ: 250  
> Height: 6'1  
> Weight: 70 kg  
> Education: 3 doctorates in Biochemistry, Biophysics and Cellular Biology. Though not studied, has masters level knowledge in Mechanical, Electrical engineering, quantum mechanics and computer science.  
> Timeline: After Devil's Breath, before civil war.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Look at the Title.

Contrary to what many people thought, Spiderman was not in a league below the avengers in terms of powers and skills. He was not a hero who was only capable of dealing on the streets. In fact, Spiderman was perhaps the only superhero in New York who went out of his way to protect the streets, aside from Daredevil. Spiderman had been protecting New York for almost seven years now, so no one in their right mind would call him an amateur or a rookie. Spiderman was a hero with experience, with quite a prolific rogues gallery of his own. Spiderman had dealt with them every time, with majority of those times ending with the rogue ending up in the Raft or the Rikers. But this is a fact that almost nobody knows- not his rogues, not the public, not the police, not the Avengers, not anyone but himself: Spiderman never, ever, went full force against anybody.

When Peter first started out as Spiderman, he had almost no idea of what he was capable of. But as he matured over the years, he learnt the hard way that to overcome some problems, he first had to know what he was capable of, otherwise he could overstep his boundaries and get himself killed. So he had then resolved to get a gist of what were the limits of his abilities, three years after he started out. And boy, he freaked himself out.

Let's start with super strength. Peter knew he had acquired super strength on the day when he smashed his alarm clock into pieces without even realizing. Theoretically, spiders can lift almost ten times their own body weight. By that logic, Peter should only be able to lift somewhere around 1350 pounds, but he knew he had lifted weights that were much, much heavier than that. Hell, he had stopped a 3000 lbs car moving at 40 miles/hour with his bare hands, without even exerting much effort! The most he had lifted, however, was almost 25 tonnes! Rhino had managed to, somehow, trap him under a 10 wheeler, after which Peter had managed to knock the guy out with a fist-sized rock straight to the guy's head. Peter had never exerted so much force in his life, but after what felt like a lifetime but was only a few seconds, he had managed to lift the truck and roll it over to the side so he could get up.  
Bottom line, Spiderman was insanely strong, strong enough to put Captain America to shame. Peter's muscles were extraordinarily dense, so much that they could exert a force of 25 tonnes. So Peter had to hold back his strength significantly, otherwise he could literally punch a baseline human into pieces, including the man out of time. At the age of twenty two, Peter was willing to bet that the number had gone up to 27 or 28 tonnes. 

Of course, his enhanced muscles also offer him a form of durability. He was capable of shrugging off a fall from various stories like it was nothing, being smashed into a brick wall with only minimal injuries. Heck, the punches of a normal baseline human were only capable of tickling him. His tissues were very tough, giving him a substantial shock absorbing capability. Not just his tissues, but his overall body, that included his bones and skin. He could survive events what no baseline human could, and walk away with not more than a few broken bones.

Next is hyper senses. Peter's senses had been enhanced by the spider bite as well. His eyesight had been terrible before the spider bite, but after that it had become so focused that Peter had to consciously control his sight so as to not get overwhelmed. Once he had been able to do that, he was blown away by the fact that it was clear as a crystal. His hearing had been dialed up to eleven, and Peter had to control it, make himself focus on one sound, otherwise his eardrums would have ruptured long ago. Once he had learned to focus himself, he had amused himself by eavesdropping on various conversations, standing meters away.

Peter had also found out that he had superhuman stamina, meaning he could exert himself far longer than any normal human could without tiring. He had found that out by running ten miles, with only light panting to show for his run. He had done three hundred push ups, after which his arms had started to get slightly stiff, and that was after the ten mile run.  
An interesting thing he had found in his run was that he could run faster than what was possible for any human. Way, way faster. He had calculated his speed and had topped at a whooping 197.3 miles/hour. For any normal human, it was nothing less than a blur. But it had a flip side to it too. He could run at his top speed only for about 12 seconds after which he would get tired real quick. But it was good to know that he was the fastest superhuman out there. Even Captain America could only run at 60 miles an hour.  
His legs were very powerful, which is why he tested his jumping ability as well. To his amazement, he could jump almost 30 meters vertically, and almost a 150 meters horizontally! It was simply mind blowing.

Next thing he tested out were his reflexes. Peter had noticed that after the bite, his reflexes had gotten insanely fast, so fast that he could say he reacted almost instantaneously to any stimulus. But to measure this was a little more tricky than the other enhancements. In the end, he had resorted to simple means: a clock, and a falling notebook. He had made the book fall, and just as he predicted, time seemed to slow down for him, the book falling in slow motion. He had immediately started counting in his head while looking at the second hand of the clock, which had stopped as well. It was on the count of forty that the hand moved again. Peter had a minor freak out about the fact that his reflexes had become roughly forty times faster than normal. No wonder he had been able to dodge bullets at point blank range. After some research, he had found out the answer: Spiders had an insane nerve conduction velocity, which is the speed at which electrical impulses travel inside your body. If he was traveling at roughly 40 times his body length per second...................................

He had a kick out in testing his agility. He had known that no human was capable of performing the stunts he did on a regular basis, in mid-air. The biological explanation for this particular ability had been quite fascinating to him. Apparently, his muscles and tissues had very high elasticity, despite being tougher than normal. This allowed for an overall higher range of movements. The finest Olympic gymnast couldn't bend the way Peter could, or balance the way he could. He had acquired a perfect equilibrium, meaning Peter was able to balance in whatever position, on anything, without any difficulty at all. He could do a still arm stand on one finger without wavering, with his eyes closed.

Next was a healing factor, which Peter was already aware of, but didn't know how fast it was in comparison to a normal human. He guessed it around to be four or five times faster, since his metabolism had been hyped up as well. Over the years, Peter had had his fair share of cuts, stabs and broken bones. Small cuts usually took around 2 or 3 hours to heal, with the larger ones taking at most 6 to 7 hours. Depending on the severity of the broken bones, it usually only took him 1 or 2 days at most. It was this healing factor that saved him so many times from being discovered by Aunt May.

He actually was able to figure out the scientific reason for how he was able to climb walls. He had first thoroughly checked whether microscopic spider hairs were growing on his skin cells or not. To his comically great relief, they were not. But apparently, spiders had the mental ability to control the flux of inter-atomic attraction between molecular boundary layers. His best guess was that the radioactive spider venom had somehow, induced a change in his cerebellum, which is responsible smooth muscle movements. The spider had seemingly passed on the ability to control electrostatic force at a molecular level to Peter as well. 

This particular ability was a bit of a surprise to Peter, for he never had this one in the first place when his powers manifested. But apparently, something happened to him recently, something strange, that caused his body to start producing organic webbing from his wrists. Peter was honestly freaked out over the fact that webbing was coming from inside of him! It took him a while to calm down, and when he did, he experimented to find out what could be the reason as to his body suddenly developing this ability. With a few MRI scans of his wrists discreetly taken, he discovered that somehow, glands had developed beneath his wrists that produced mass amounts of spider-silk. While a bit gross, it provided him quite a bit of an advantage, for now he couldn't run out of webbing in the middle of a fight. He tested the webbing for its tensile strength, and found it surprisingly similar to his artificially created webbing, albeit a little stronger. He also found out that his organic webbing dissolved much faster than the artificial. While his created webbing lasted for two hours, the organic webbing would dissolve after one. 

But he discovered a major disadvantage to having organic webbing. His precious web shooters were obsolete, and on top of that, his organic webbing could not come out in different shapes and forms that he could do with his web shooters. And his accuracy had taken a turn for the worse, for the organic webbing completely missed the targets he was aiming for. It took him a while to solve this problem, but it was solved in the end. He tinkered his web shooters a little, so as to improve the accuracy and precision of his organic webbing. The webbing would pass through the device, and depending on how Peter wanted it to be, would go. 

He also discovered, in a very painful way, that for his organic webbing to be at optimum level, he had to be healthy. If he was sick or something, his webbing would be affected as well. He had barely managed to activate his old webbing, that he still kept as a precaution, in time to avoid a splat on the pavement.

They say the best is saved for the last. Really, this ability has saved his butt more times he cared to count. Only when conducted the tests of his abilities that he realized on just how much he relied on it, it almost became a crutch for him. Of course, he rectified that later.  
Spider sense warned him of impending danger through a tingling sensation in the back of his skull and upper neck. In terms of biology, it's a sort of precognition that spiders have. They sense the vibrations in the air due to the extremely sensitive hair they have, but it's different for this spidey.  
Peter had always thought that his spider-sense was something that was subconscious, activating only when he was in danger. But the more he thought about it, the more it confused him. Why was his spider-sense subconscious, and how did it know what was danger?  
His spider-sense always worked in conjunction with his reflexes. The spider-sense was the reason he was able to react instantaneously to danger; the information was fed directly to his muscles, skipping his brain as the middleman. Over the years, Peter had gained some form of control as to how he could react, instead of doing it without thinking. He had been able to hone his body's reactions to his spider-sense to a level that he could perform a sort of offense, while simultaneously engaging in defense.  
Overall, Peter was glad to have it.

While all these abilities were damn useful to have, it took him a meeting with Daredevil- well, more like a fight- to see just how terrible of a fighter he was. Despite of being in a totally different league than the vigilante of Hell's Kitchen, Peter nearly got his ass beat before managing to web DD up, and it was then he had another startling realization: he was overly reliant on his webs and spider-sense. He did not have any fighting style, preferring to simply dance out of the opponent's attacks, hammering them with his webs and quips until they make a mistake and webbing them up. DD picked up on that fact as well, for he took every chance to roast Peter on his total inability to fight without looking like a clown or a monkey. In a fit of frustration, Peter snapped that it wasn't like DD could teach him how to fight. To Peter's surprise, instead of following up that statement with yet another insult, DD replied that he can't, but he knew someone who could. Daredevil took him to a Japanese mansion, and introduced him to Shang-chi, an expert of Kung-fu. When Peter asked why DD was being so kind to him, he near freaked out on the answer that basically said- DD did not like to see stubborn kids get killed on the job. If you're gonna do it, then do it properly, and in style. 

Shang was more than happy to accept DD's request on Peter's half to train him in fighting. To Peter's relief, Shang didn't seem the least bit interested in knowing who he was, but just in training him. When Peter asked him how Shang intended to train him, the reply he received stunned him- "Before I can train the spider, I have to train the man." 

Peter had to adjust his schedule so that he could train with Shang daily. They trained for four days in a week, and every time they trained, Shang put a power suppressing collar on him, "to train the man." For a grueling ten months, Peter trained rigorously under the careful eye of Shang. It was at the end of ten months that Shang announced Peter's training to be complete. Shang and Peter had worked together all the time to create a fighting style that was entirely meant for Spiderman, and no one else. It combined his superhuman senses, capabilities, especially agility, fighting experience on the streets, not to forget, the wrestling ring, when he had first started out as Spiderman. Another thing the training helped him with was the honing of his spider-sense. He could consciously control it at the end of training, and his focus on it was better than anything he ever had before. 

The end result was completely terrifying, awesome and not to forget, downright badass. After the training, Spiderman had little to no trouble at all in wrapping up fights in streets and between gangs in no time at all. He also reduced the collateral damage he caused by a significant margin, something that apparently, really pleased the police. So much, that they even stopped shooting at him, causing Peter to nearly pull his hair out in comical rage. If collateral damage was the problem, he would have amended it years ago! 

Anyways, this is how my Spiderman will be, readers. A complete BAMF.


	2. Some Backstory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Devil's breath was a biological catastrophe that was caused by the hands of the hands of Doctor Octopus and Martin Li a year ago. A lot has happened since then. Let's have a look at that, shall we?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Miles Morales did not get bitten by the spider. 
> 
> Also, I apologize for some bullshit. I don't know how business works.

Flavio Vercetti sat down on his chair with a frustrated sigh that also conveyed his exhaustion from doing long hours of work. It had been a year since the fiasco that was the Devil's breath, and New York had completely recovered since then. It had also been a year since the head of one of the families of the Maggia, Hammerhead, was taken down by the combined efforts of Spiderman and Silver Sable. It was not as if Flavio was close to Hammerhead, but he always kept a watch on the other guy just in case. Flavio was in charge of one of the smaller sectors of Maggia in New York that were under Hammerhead's control, so he was not in any danger of being removed from his position. Flavio had been baffled, however, when he discovered through his spies in Hammerhead's ranks, that the metal head had made a bold move to break the cease fire agreement made between all the Maggia families. His spy had told him that Hammerhead was planning to gain complete control of the bank accounts of all the families.

Flavio was not particularly threatened by this piece of news. He never interacted with the guy, and he doubted Hammerhead knew he even existed. He was alarmed, however, when Hammerhead had decided to change his plans and kill the other Maggia dons, giving him complete control over their operations and districts. But then Spiderman decided to involve himself in the gang war. Flavio supposed that the civilian casualties the gang war was causing prompted the web slinger to take his own actions. He was surprised at how quickly the results were showing due the web head's involvement. Maggia operations were rapidly shutting down, and it wasn't long before he was shut down and thrown into prison as well. But then Hammerhead made a mistake, a crucial one, that cost him his life. 

He stole many of Sable international's weapons, including a project called Olympus. Flavio had been horrified upon seeing the results of that- the guy had completely transformed himself into a cyborg. He diverted his attention from gaining complete control over the Maggia, to shutting down Silver Sable and Spiderman. However, the news feed that Flavio watched clearly showed that Hammerhead was in over his head, taking on both Silver Sable _and_ Spiderman at the same time. They guy was defeated, and later it was declared in the news that Hammerhead had been killed, for the laser that Silver Sable had repeatedly fired to his head had melted his brain.

Flavio had felt no sympathy for the guy. 

However, what followed next was a shitstorm no one could have seen coming. With Hammerhead dead, and the trail of bodies left in his wake, the Maggia was in complete disarray. All the remaining dons, who weren't even the real family members- who were all dead- but simply thugs who worked for them, gathered together in a meeting and were able to restore some resemblance of order to the Maggia. However, no one had foreseen Spiderman making a move on the Maggia itself. The idea sounded completely absurd to Flavio, yet the shutting down of various Maggia sectors all around the city over the next several months proved otherwise.

Spiderman was on a manhunt, and the Maggia was his target.

Flavio kept a close watch on the news, while simultaneously taking measures to ensure that his sector escaped the wall crawler's grasps. His sector was one of the very few that was still operating, and if what he had seen last week was right, if he remembered right, then he was the last one left. Spiderman had, singlehandedly, taken down the biggest crime syndicate of New York in over a year. He had been toppling the remaining dons left and right, with seemingly nothing to stop him. The police were all too happy to help, the dogs that they were. Flavio didn't know just how Spiderman kept figuring out the locations of the various bases of operations. He had some outside help, without a doubt, but it was certainly not the police. But Flavio was sure of one thing.

This was the end of the Maggia.

So downed he was in his thoughts that he didn't even pay attention to the camera feeds, which had begun to loop.

XXXXXXX

Peter crawled through the vents, keeping an eye out for thugs who were doing their rounds in the warehouse. He crawled over until he was directly above one of the thugs. Opening the vent soundlessly, he webbed up the thug to the ceiling of the vent. He grinned under his mask, as the thug struggled with futile efforts. 

'Gotta say, taking down airheads from vents is a _much_ better way than going with fists blazing,' he thought to himself as he similarly webbed up all the other thugs. All those who remained were the ones standing on the ground. 

'This would be easy.'

In his mask's HUD, the number of the thugs remaining were highlighted, showing it to be eight, with five in a group and the other three scattered. He opened the vent and dropped down, startling the group of thugs. Taking advantage of their shock, he quickly fired one of his electric webs at one of them. Due to their close proximity, the electricity spread over to the other four as well, causing them to spasm. In the next five seconds, Peter had knocked out every single one of them with one hit each. He fired an impact web at one of the remaining three thugs who was rushing at him. The web through him all the way back and stuck him to the wall, his gun laying in front of him. The last two were rushing in a pincer form- one from his right and one from his left. Peter did not even need to think as he fired a trip mine at thug on the right and jumped straight up. The laser from the mine detected the other thug and pulled him straight into the thug. Their heads knocked out each other, with the web wrapping around them like a cocoon..

'It's almost as if thugs are born to be thick skulled,' he reflected before making his move to the office of the warehouse. He didn't bother taking the stealthy way inside, choosing to be a little dramatic. After all, according to the information he had collected over the past year, this was supposed to be the last operating base of the Maggia. He knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Peter smirked under the mask and turned the doorknob, opening the door and letting the boss inside see him in his red, blue and white glory. He bathed in the gleeful satisfaction at the horror that spread through the boss's face, which his HUD identified as Flavio Vercetti. One web shot from his web shooter bound the boss to the chair, while another took care of his mouth. Peter watched with practiced boredom as Flavio tried to break his bonds.

"Don't bother. They are made to successfully stop a train moving at full speed, pal." Peter walked over to the other side of the desk and gently rolled away the crime boss, so he was directly in front of the computer. From a hidden pocket in his suit, he took out a flash drive that he had made himself, and recently modified. It stored enormous amounts of data that he had collected over the course of last year. It had all the information one needed about the Maggia.

He put it into the port and spoke. "Alright, KAOS. Usual procedure, make sure to copy the good captain in his headquarters."

**"You got it, Pete."**

A young, female voice with an Irish accent sounded inside his mask, causing his lips to break out in a fond smile. KAOS, the short form for Kick Ass Operating System, was the artificial intelligence he created after he finally got some time to himself after the Hammerhead fiasco. He had based her upon the artificial intelligence of Tony Stark, JARVIS. He had made her for three reasons. 

One, it would be really useful to have a program such as an artificial intelligence which could share his workload and manage it more efficiently than he ever could.

Two, it made him feel like he was less alone in the world. His parents had left him long ago, followed by Ben and most recently, Aunt May. Even MJ had gone away to Symkaria, breaking their relationship off before she left. He only had Miles left with him after that. So he created KAOS to drive away some of his loneliness, and to have someone to talk to. 

Three, it was just so cool to have an AI. That, and he wanted to test himself whether he was capable of building one himself. He still had yet to tell his best friend Ned, who was a computer wizard himself. He would freak out. 

Like any artificial intelligence, KAOS was a learning program. While he could give her almost all the knowledge of the world, social intelligence was not something that he could program, and he doubted even Tony Stark could. KAOS learned from watching her surroundings, interacting with Peter, Miles etc. She learned how to talk and speak like a human instead of a simple program. In the same way, she also gained emotional intelligence. Peter spoke and taught to her, along with Miles, as she observed and listened, on how to speak to people in certain situations. Over the course of last year, she had progressed remarkably, and knew how to precisely perceive various social and emotional situations, thanks to the combined efforts of Peter and Miles. She spoke on a regular basis to Peter, of course, along with Miles and his mother, Rio. To say that Miles was freaked out was a huge understatement. 

Of course, Peter hadn't meant to name her KAOS at the beginning. When she first came online, she was just a child. A highly advanced, knowledgeable one at that, but still a child. But even for a newly born AI such as her, when he had tested her out for hacking into databases, he had been awestruck at the fact how easily she had been able to do so. In the joy of success and the high that he had another companion in his life, he had called her the first thing that came into his mind. 

Of course, immediately after calling her that, he had been horrified that he had stained her innocent ears, but she had been very accepting that title, conning the name KAOS for herself after that. After a year of operating with him, both with Peter Parker and Spiderman, he felt that she truly deserved the title. Her help had been phenomenal in tracking down all the Maggia and their connections along with their business and outside contacts. Until now, he hadn't found system that KAOS could not hack or sabotage. He regularly updated her protocols and firewalls, giving her the best protection he could. However, deep inside, he had a secret wish to see the reaction of Tony Stark's face when he sees that Peter had managed to build an AI as well. 

In just under a minute, KAOS had finished sweeping the computer for any important and relevant data. **"I have acquired all the relevant data, Peter. According to it, it looks like this really was the last base of operations for the Maggia. I also have relayed a copy to Captain Stacy in his office, along with a message of what happened over here. He should be here in about twenty minutes."**

"Great job, girl. Let's get out of here, then." He grinned and took out the flash drive from its port. He put it back in his hidden pocket and turned to face Flavio, who had a defeated expression on his face. 

He walked up to the guy and said, "The boys in blue should be here soon to pick you and your guys. You might be in for a treat, for I've heard that the Rikers had a change in food menu." 

He went to the went and jumped out, shooting a line and swinging away. "KAOS, will you please order me an extra pepperoni and a perry perry from Eddie's? I'm starving. Tell him that it's from Spiderman, and the same rooftop as last time." 

**"Done, boss. He asked that you tweet his shop on social media to boost their business."**

Peter frowned as he flipped himself forward. "Will do, and K, you know I don't like when you call me boss." 

He could almost see the shrug in her reply. **"It only seemed fitting with the way you sometimes act like one, Peter. Also, you better not swing after gorging all that food, otherwise Just the Facts will be about Spiderman puking in mid-air."**

It astonished Peter even to this day how mothering his baby girl could be. The level of emotional intelligence she seemed to have gained was nothing less than extraordinary. She was almost constantly taking care of him. And it was very heartwarming, whenever she had her "mom" moments. She was his baby, his best friend, and his constant companion. He was almost never without her. He arrived at the rooftop and was pleased to see that his order had been delivered so quickly. 

As he sat down to eat, KAOS spoke up. **"Pete, I just finished running the diagnostics on the neural interface you asked me to. The neural response time has gone up after you added the extra sensor to protect the brain from the harmful feedback of the microprocessor."**

Peter nodded as he observed the information on his HUD. After studying them for a few minutes, he gave her a reply. "Run another diagnostics and see if you can optimize the power relay, reduce the impedance in the neurosensor circuit. For the neural chip, it looks like we might need a better signal processor to reduce lag in reaction time. Put that for my tomorrow's agenda at Horizon." 

**"Will do, and done. Anything else?"**

Peter got up and tossed the now empty pizza boxes into the trash can behind him. "While you're at it, contact Matt. Ask whether he is done making the changes I suggested to the Accords. There's not much time left until all the superheroes would be required to sign those documents." 

KAOS's tone held a hint of curiosity. **"But how will you present those changes? The world won't trust the word of a masked vigilante, and you're not exactly a diplomat, Peter."**

Peter jumped into the alley below, the shadows enveloping him. A moment later, a young man will neatly cut brown hair, clean shaven and handsome features emerged from the alley with a backpack. He was wearing a grey sweater with a blue shirt underneath, dark blue jeans and normal street shoes. Peter pulled up his samsung phone, whose screen had two cracks in it and pretended to see the notifications, while using his peripheral vision to see if anyone was suspicious of him coming out of an alley. But this was New York, where people were used to a villain attacking almost four times a week. These people were real New Yorkers, they were not about to be fazed by some random guy coming out of an alley. Peter attached a bluetooth earpiece to his right ear before walking away, making his way in the direction of the Lower East Side. 

"The world may not want to listen to the likes of Spiderman, K. But perhaps Tony Stark might be willing to listen to him." 

KAOS went silent at his reply. As Peter made his way to his personal lab on the Lower East side, he recounted how things had changed after Aunt May's death and Hammerhead's demise. After Aunt May had died, Peter had been devastated. It had been one of the hardest decisions he had ever made in his Spiderman career, and the most painful one as well. However, as Spiderman, he had no right to be selfish on a level such as saving one person over an entire city. As Spock had famously said, "The needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few, or the one." 

After he had buried Aunt May, came the legal matters. He had inherited all the money which Aunt May had left behind, which really wasn't much. But Peter had a choice- he really didn't exactly live in Queens now, so the house under Ben's name was of no use to him. Hardening his heart, he had chosen to sell the house he grew up in. Selling it, he had been able to make enough money that he had been able to afford a pretty sweet, 2BHK apartment on the Lower East side. And by afford, Peter meant purchase. After much deliberation, and living at FEAST all that time, he decided that renting an apartment was too much hassle, especially considering the little money he made. For the first time in a long time, Peter had chosen to look at things pragmatically instead of optimistically. 

He still wanted to help people, but as the air hostesses usually say, before helping the other passengers, put on your own oxygen mask first. So he improved his condition first. After purchasing the apartment and moving into it, his first priority had been to find a job. Now, one would think that for a person such as Peter, who held 3 doctorates at an extremely young age, finding a job won't be that difficult. But as it turns out, people are wary of hiring those people who have worked with one of the most dangerous super villains the city had ever been witness to. It had been some of the toughest situations for him as Peter Parker, and he didn't know how long would he be able to hold himself before marching right up to Tony Stark and reveal his identity to get a job. 

But it seemed that the universe _could_ grant him small mercies. It had been a complete accident that he met Max Modell, his current employer and the owner of Horizon labs. 

_Flashback_

_Peter was sitting in one of the cafes near his home, looking through the newspapers in hopes of finding a decent job. The barista over there, Sharon, had become a good friend of his over the few days he had been there. He had just put down his coffee and was about to browse through the next newspaper when he heard some grumbling behind him. He turned and saw a large man with red hair, a beard and glasses, wearing a cap and had a gorging belly. He held a tablet in his hands, the back of which said "Horizon." He was twirling his stylus with his fingers, an irritated expression on his face._

_Peter being the naturally helpful guy that he was, went over him. "Do you need any help, sir?"_

_To his credit, the man's irritation seemed to vanish and exhaustion took its place. "I appreciate the concern, kid, I really do. But I don't think you can help me with this problem unless you're a scientist."_

_Peter smiled. "Well, good for you, I happen to be one."_

_The person looked at him and chuckled. "Sorry if I come off as rude, but you look like you're a college student." Nonetheless, he slid over the tablet with the stylus over to Peter._

_Peter smirked and replied, taking the stylus in his hands. "I'll take that as a compliment." Technically, he was the age of a college going student, but whatever._

_He looked down and saw a bunch of complex, chemical equations. Peter frowned- he really could not see why this man was having a problem with these equations. They really were quite simple to solve. Within a minute, he had solved all the equations and had even made a few suggestions of his own on how to improve the project, seeing the guy was aiming for minimum heat with maximum energy output, cost effective._

_He slid the tablet back to the man, who was now looking at him with a scrutinizing expression. He picked up the tablet and his eyes went wide as he saw that every equation had been solved, with the result being slightly off the target. But the young man in front of him even made a few suggestions, that could perfectly work on the project. He looked up with wide eyes, speechless for the first time in a very long time. "Wha-How did you-"_

_Peter grinned and only shrugged. "Told you I'm a scientist."_

_Flashback end_

Turned out, the person who Peter had helped was Max Modell, the founder and CEO of Horizon labs, a very prestigious company dedicated entirely to science to make the life of the public easier. Max had been immediately taken with Peter, thanking him profusely, saying that he had just solved a matter that he and his scientists themselves had been struggling on for two weeks. He had then immediately offered him a job that promised an extremely handsome pay. 

Peter had been hesitant at first, telling Max that he didn't do science for money, but rather to help people. But Max had assured him that Horizon labs was entirely dedicated to helping people. Peter had there and then accepted the job. If there was an opportunity, then he was damn well going to take it. 

Peter had worked on various projects in that year, some of which were a super glue, something he derived from the chemical formula of his webbing. It became extremely popular, even among large companies such as Stark Industries, and it was his first ever patent. The pay he had received at the end of the first month of working there had literally managed to send him into unconsciousness. He had never seen so much money in his entire life, much less with _his name_ written on it. 

He had tried to protest, saying it was too much for a glue, but Max had only laughed and patiently explained to him just how much the people were loving his glue. Going home that day, he looked like a total idiot with that grin on his face that wouldn't go away. 

Another one of his inventions were the noise cancelling headphones, which he thought were a rather simple invention. He was quickly proven wrong when the headphones were put into production and put up for sale. His invention went viral, for the quality of those headphones was right up there with Bose and Sennheiser, and comparatively cheaper. The amount of money that was in his bank account made Peter believe that he was living in a dream. A quick pinch told him he wasn't. 

He had so much money for the first time in his life, that he didn't know what to do with it. But after thinking for a while, he decided to make a lab all for himself, close to his home. This lab was for all of his personal projects, the ones he didn't show to Horizon. Even after purchasing the space and ordering what he needed, there was still a good amount of money left. He put that away in his savings. 

It was around two months later, after being working for Max, that he created KAOS. It was merely a test to see whether he could do it or not. He had been ecstatic that he had achieved what only one other person on the planet had achieved, and that was Tony Stark. He had wasted no time in integrating her in his lab so she could assist him. But he needed to find out a way for her to properly interact with him with other than just speech. 

Turns out, old habits die hard. 

Peter did not want to spent too much of his money in buying the equipment that he needed, when there was already so much around him, just waiting for it to be used. Dumpsters were the place where he found almost everything that he needed, with only a little need for the equipment to be patched up. He also may have "borrowed" some things from Horizon labs as well. Pretty soon enough, Peter had built hologram projectors in his lab, which worked pretty swell, if he had to admit. And he had expanded KAOS to his lab, his home and had even managed to integrate her into his suit, for which he now had no problems in upgrading due to the lack of funds. 

Of course, he kept it a secret from everyone at Horizon labs. There was no way he was telling everyone just yet that he had a badass AI working for him. 

Seven months into his job at Horizon labs, he had asked Max whether they worked on prosthesis for handicapped people. When a confused Max answered affirmative, Peter asked to be in on this project, seeing how far he and Octavius had managed to reach in perfecting the human prosthesis. Of course, Max and the people of the prosthesis department wanted to know what Peter had to contribute to this. Peter had then gone back to the place where Octavius industries had started and ended, and had KAOS copy every single data file there was in regards to his and Octavius's research. 

After a lengthy presentation at Horizon labs about all the information he had, he had received quite a shock when Max had asked him to lead the project of affordable, high quality prosthesis for handicapped people. It was the first time that Peter had realized just how ahead he and Ock had been when it came to prosthesis. 

This was the work he had been doing, all the while juggling with his duties as Spiderman. Good news was, that overall crime rate had dropped by almost 17%, which meant there were significantly less crimes to stop, and that meant Peter got more time to spend in the lab. As Spiderman, he had concentrated his efforts on shutting down the Maggia for good. For over a year, he and KAOS worked together to expose the crime syndicate, with its results paying off today. 

The Maggia families, as far as he knew, were in prison now. 

Peter took a slight detour en route to his lab to pick up his dinner. There was this special diner, which on getting membership of, gives you all three meals of the day, free of charge. Peter needed to eat, like a lot, to combat his hyper metabolism and to keep his body in peak condition. He always got these weird looks when he packed a large amount of food, for every meal, into his bag. But almost everyone at that place was used to him eating a lot by now. They figured he was one of those people who is lucky to eat a lot and still remain skinny. 

As he arrived in front of the door of his lab, it automatically opened, causing him to smile. KAOS's control over his lab's security was absolute, and these little gestures always made him smile. He walked over to one side of the lab, the one where he usually manufactured his artificial webbing. But he had expanded over the years, adding more variety such as taser webs, impact webs, etc. 

He sat down on the chair and brought out his dinner. KAOS's voice sounded from the speakers nearest to him. **"So, what are we working on today, Pete?"**

Peter had programmed KAOS is such a way that she would keep his data well organized and as such, if he went to the chemical side of the lab, there was a separate folder for that. If he went for the more techy side of the lab, there was a separate folder. 

Peter chewed thoughtfully, thinking for the moment. After a short while, he said, "Bring up everything there is on cement. Open up a new project file, index as Concrete webbing."


	3. The Girl and the Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At work the next day, Peter finds out that Max had recruited another young scientist, and she was an absolute bombshell. The whole day, Peter finds himself distracted and facing constant reprimand from KAOS. 
> 
> Also, it turns out that someone is looking for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A reminder to those who think that I'm making Peter way too comfortable in life, please read the summary of the first chapter.
> 
> To those who are scientists, I apologize for the scientific inaccuracies.
> 
> To those who are from NYC, apologies for any insult that you may read.
> 
> Also, please don't flame me for Gwen Stacy's look. I just loved the way she looked in spider verse.
> 
> Also, please comment on the story, and leave a kudos, if it's not too much of a problem?

"- and combine those with a ratio of 5:2 and see what the result is, please," Peter said as he swiped aside holograms with complex chemical and mathematical equations. He and KAOS had been working for over two hours now, trying to find the perfect combination for the prototype, concrete webbing. It was an idea that Peter had had several times when he was dealing with huge, collapsing structures, courtesy of his more destructive enemies. Collateral damage has always been a part of a fight between a hero and the villain, and sometimes, solutions are needed much more quickly than people realize.

This webbing that Peter was trying to develop was to hold gigantic structures like buildings, cranes, etc. But even for a genius like him, he did not always get things right on the first try. **"The resulting webbing is exponentially stronger than your organic and artificial webs, Peter. But its dry up time has also significantly gone up."**

Peter leant on the table, his hands supporting him as he studied the equations. "Not only has the dry up time gone up, K, but its storage is also quite damaging to my web shooters." 

**"That is correct, given how highly alkaline cement is and quite exothermic as it sets."**

Peter bit his lip as he sat back down in his chair. This was not working, the last two hours had proved that. Maybe he should be looking at this from a different angle? 

"Bring up webbing 3.0, please." 

In an instant, KAOS had brought up what he had asked. Over the years, Peter had constantly modified his webbing so it would be stronger, experimenting with different chemical substances. With his left hand, he brought the hologram of the concrete webbing and with his right, he brought the artificial webbing so that they were side by side, right in front of him. He studied the two carefully. The latest iteration of his webbing was the strongest yet, but it's tensile strength paled in comparison to the webbing he was developing. 

"KAOS, check if it is possible to improve the concrete formula by cross referencing with the formula of webbing 3.0. Perhaps we could improve its storage and reduce the risk of damage to my web shooters, while ensuring its dry up time reduces." 

KAOS started exchanging equations and formulas left and right, knowing what Peter was asking of her. **"Processing."**

Peter sat back down, picking up his bottle of water and downing all the contents. He had suddenly realized how thirsty he was, not drinking water in the last two hours. "Also, check the compressive to tensile strength ratio of the result. That'll take a second." 

**"Just a moment."**

Peter did not have to wait long for the results to show. KAOS was an AI, with an enormous processing speed and power. When the equations aligned, he found his eyebrows rising at the result. "Well, that's unexpected." 

**"The dry up time has reduced significantly, along with the amount of heat released. Also, the tensile strength is quite low compared to the compressive strength."**

Peter nodded along with her. "I was expecting that. What I was not expecting, however, was for the compressive strength to come that close to actual cement." 

KAOS's tone held confusion. **"Isn't that what we are aiming for?"**

Peter nodded and straightened up. "It's only good if it holds long enough. Check the dissolving time of the webbing." 

**".........................twenty minutes."**

Peter smiled. It wasn't perfect, but it was a start. He stood up, stretching his back. "Alright, we're wrapping up for today, K. Save the data, and put down the target dissolving time to be one hour." 

Peter checked the time on his phone. "Huh, only 11 o'clock. Guess I have two hours to patrol."

He quickly changed into his suit, putting his clothes in his back and heading out of a window. He webbed himself up to the fourth floor of a red building two minutes away from his lab. That was his apartment. Making a quick pit stop to deposit his bag in the living room, he made his way into the city. 

There was a reason why New York was called the city that never sleeps. Even late at night, the streets were bustling with people. As Peter swung up high among the skyscrapers, he reflected on how life had changed for him. For the last seven years, he had been Spiderman. He had faced one of the biggest crisis of the Big Apple in last year, lost his only remaining relative in that crisis and then he had lost one of his friends. Actually, make that two. 

MJ had been his best friend, and occasional girlfriend since high school. But his partnership that he had made with the former police captain, Yuriko Watanabe, was something he treasured. Spiderman did not have many friends in the police department, for the police did not like someone else doing their job for them. It made them look like dumbasses. However, Yuri had been willing to let him work with the police. Her exact reasoning was- "It's better if I have you on my side rather than against. At least then I can keep an eye on you." 

He and Yuri had worked together for years, but when the fiasco with Hammerhead started, he saw a different side of Yuri. More aggressive, more..........................violent. He had not liked to see her like that. Hammerhead had murdered her men in cold blood, right in front of her. She had also used Sable tech on him, Spiderman, just so she could have her revenge. The final straw for Peter was when she decided to resign from her post as police captain and fight crime as a violent vigilante. Nothing like Peter, but she was more of a Batman type. Only, Batman never killed. Yuri apparently did. 

This was one of the reason why Peter had decided that he would rid the NYC of the Maggia. He had figured that if he took care of the Maggia, perhaps Yuri would come back. Maybe in time. 

"The city seems a bit quiet. Don't you agree, KAOS?" 

KAOS knew exactly what Peter was talking about. **"I think that's expected when the overall crime rate is down by 17%, Peter."**

Peter swung into a loop and launched himself high up in the air, webbing himself to the topmost point of the Empire state building. "Well, I won't tempt fate anytime soon by wishing there was some action." 

His words caused her to get confused. **"Peter, I still don't understand this concept of fate, that you occasionally talk about. Is it another name for probability?"**

Peter smiled under his mask. Sometimes he tended to forget that while being a highly sophisticated, knowledgeable AI, KAOS was still only a year old. A baby, in terms of her age. "You don't need to worry about fate, KAOS." 

But she was adamant to know. **"The definition of fate on google is development of events outside a person's control, regarded as predetermined by a supernatural power. I can't seem to find what this supernatural power is. Anywhere."**

Peter could hear the frustration in her voice. KAOS hated when she didn't have enough information on any subject. But this topic was something no one had clear answers to, and Peter was not about to let her divert her precious, processing power to an useless topic. "Supernatural power is not something that humans, or anyone in fact, can see with their eyes. And before you ask if there is a device made to see them, there is not. Let's just say that fate is a hand of god and leave it at that." 

His statement's meaning was clear to KAOS. No more discussion on this topic. She suddenly picked up some chatter on the police scanner. **"There seems to be a robbery happening over two blocks away from here, Peter."**

Peter nodded as he jumped off from the top, adrenaline filling his veins. Even after all these years web slinging, jumping from high places such as these never failed to give him a rush. "Let's get to it, then." 

XXXXXXX 

"And you have 36 hours to bring them in." Ross's voice floated away as he left the office. 

"Yeah, yeah," Tony grumbled as he rubbed his arm. Barnes had thrown him pretty hard into the table, and for over five minutes, his left arm had gone numb. He spotted Natasha coming over to him. "My left arm has gone numb, is that normal?" 

She just smiled and rubbed his shoulder in a show of comfort. "Are you alright?" 

"I'm fine." The reply was swift and automatic, as if it had been practiced. To be fair, he had been practicing for years. "Can you believe that guy? 36 hours to bring in the rogues." 

His disbelief was well placed, as Natasha solemnly agreed. "We're seriously understaffed." 

Tony leaned back in his chair and thought hard. He had known from the moment Rogers showed doubt over the accords that things would take an ugly turn down the road. Tony agreed with the idea of the Accords, that all the superheroes needed a set of check and balances. But how to bring them in, without much struggle. Then something struck his memory. It was of a person. The same person who had saved the entire city of New York from a deadly epidemic only a year ago. Tony had regretted that the Avengers weren't there to help him, because they were out of the country to deal with some other evil genius. Tony had felt guilty the most, because they had left Spiderman to deal with all of it alone. Spiderman had been fighting crime in NYC for over seven years now, and results had shown. 

The crime rate had never been this low at any point of time in NYC. In fact, it was so low that it was considered a record. Not to mention, Spiderman was way more popular with the people of New York than the Avengers. He had seen how the guy operated, and he had been impressed. In over seven years of his appearance, not once had Tony been able to piece together the identity of the man behind the mask. It was damn impressive, considering that Tony had an AI, and he could count on one hand, the people who had managed to hide from him. But he knew just the person who could help him find the evasive wall-crawler. 

"I have an idea," he muttered, eyes flicking to Natasha. 

Natasha frowned. "I have one too." 

"Where's yours?" 

"Downstairs. Where's yours?" 

Tony only smirked as he got up. 

XXXXXXX 

Peter's eyes snapped open as KAOS softly whispered. **"It's time to wake up, Peter."**

In a flash, Peter was up from his bed and in the bathroom. He had returned home at one in the morning, and had fallen asleep as soon as he had hit the bed. Over the years, he had corrected his sleeping habits, knowing that he could not fight villains with only two or three hours of sleep. So now, he got a healthy six hours of sleep, and KAOS made sure he got it. In thirty minutes, he was all done with cleaning up. Putting on his suit underneath his normal clothes, he checked his mirror and nodded to himself. "K, how do I look?" 

**"Immaculate and ordinary as always, Pete."**

Peter smirked as he walked out of his room. "So much sass. I wonder who taught you that." 

KAOS's reply was dry and cheeky. **"Learned from the master."**

Peter smiled as he slung on his backpack and exited the apartment, locking the door behind him. He had installed an electric lock on the door that KAOS could control. He was wary of someone coming to his apartment to rob him. There was just too much sensitive material in there to be shown to anyone. 

He checked his watch as he walked downstairs. "Seven forty-five. Plenty of time to get breakfast," he muttered as he went to the same place where he had picked up his dinner from last night. He had pretty sweet hours of working at Horizon labs. Turns out, being one of the best scientists over there has its own perks. He usually worked from nine to four, which was a deal that people nowadays would kill to get. He entered the diner after showing his membership card, and not one person batted an eye when he loaded enormous amounts of food onto his plate. As he sat down to eat, he looked down and grinned. 

As a superhuman whose metabolism was roughly five times faster than the average human, Peter had to eat a lot more to maintain his physiology at peak level. And now that his problems with money were almost non-existent, the same could be said for food as well. Peter was able to eat to his fill almost everyday, as ensured by his AI. He had never been healthier in years. 

In twenty minutes, he had finished eating to his fill and exited the place. Horizon labs was two miles away from his home, and he preferred to walk. If some situation arose, he could quickly take care of it as Spiderman and then be on his way. Turns out, petty criminals had learned over the years not to attempt daylight robberies, so his walk was mostly quiet. AS he neared the huge building that was Horizon labs, he asked KAOS through his earpiece. "Remind me what's on my agenda for today, KAOS?" 

**"You have to work on improving the neural chip to reduce reaction time, Peter.**

Peter nodded. "Gotcha." He walked into the building, scanning his ID tag. His office was on the eleventh floor of the twenty two floors that were there. He usually took the stairs, for he did not even pant when he reached the floor. Taking the stairs also allowed him time to get his thoughts into order. He reached the tenth floor and was about to climb the stairs for the last one when a shout stopped him. 

"PETER!" 

He stopped and turned around to see his employer, Max calling him. "Come here for a second!" 

Peter frowned as he thought up the reason that Max could be calling him, but none came to mind that were plausible. As he reached Max, the man grinned and put an arm around his shoulders, almost dragging Peter with him. "There's someone I want you to meet!" 

Peter was amused at how excited the man was at times. He dragged him until they were standing behind a man and a woman. The man he recognized as Smith Jones, a dear friend of Peter's. Smith was one of the first people he had met when he had come to Horizon, and they both had immediately bonded over their mutual love for biology. Smith was smart, and he knew his stuff like the back of his hand. Smith was extremely smart, having a doctorate in Genetics and a master's degree in Microbiology. He was also seven years Peter's senior at Horizon. 

The blonde girl, however, he did not know. Perhaps she was new here. "Ms. Stacy!" 

The word "Stacy" rang in Peter's mind and immediately connected to the face of Capt. George Stacy. Before he could think more, however, the lady turned and Peter's breath got caught in his throat. 

She was extremely beautiful, right up there with Mary Jane Watson. Her hair was blonde, short, and fell in waves till her neck line. Her face was the perfect combination of cute, beautiful and sexy. Although, the last two adjectives were attributed to her azure blue eyes and the two, small piercings, above and beneath her eyebrows. Her cheeks were neither to puffy, nor too skinny, but the perfect texture. She did not wear lipstick, but she did not need lipstick to make her lips look so kissable. She was also young, almost around Peter's age. 

In one sentence, Gwen Stacy was drop dead gorgeous. 

Max did not notice Peter's wonder as he introduced the both of them. "Ms. Stacy, I'd like you to meet Dr. Peter Parker. He is one of our best scientists at Horizon, and is the current head of research of our project of high tech, affordable prosthesis." 

It was only due to KAOS's urgent whisper in his ear that he shook himself out of his daze. "J-Just Peter is fine." Dammit, why was he stuttering?! 

Gwen stood at five feet seven to Peter's six feet one. She held out her hand with a pleasant smile, "Nice to meet you, Peter. I'm Gwen Stacy, but you can call me Gwen." 

Peter almost went back into a daze when he shook his hand with hers. "N-Nice to m-meet you too." 

Max continued speaking, totally unaware of Peter's predicament. "Ms. Stacy here is our newest scientist. This is her first day at Horizon, after she quit working for Oscorp." 

Max almost seemed proud, and Peter could the why. If someone was willing to leave a company such as Oscorp, a rival to Stark Industries (not anymore, now that he thought about it) to work over at Horizon, it was a matter of pride for Max. Gwen scrunched her eyebrows cutely. "You look rather young, Peter, if you don't mind me saying." 

Finally, Peter got all his bearings back to hold a decent conversation with her. For now. He smirked at her, "I take that as a compliment." 

Max laughed and put his arm around Peter's shoulder. "Peter is the youngest scientist at Horizon, Ms. Stacy. He's twenty two right now." 

A surprised expression took its place on Gwen's face. "Wow, you must be one of those child geniuses." 

Peter chuckled, "You could say that." He held out his hand for her to shake. "Good luck for your first day, Gwen. I look forward to working with you in the future." 

With that, he practically ran out of the Bio labs. He ran up a floor and right into his office. If anyone saw their extremely young boss, running into a room like a flustered teenager, no one said anything. Peter let out a breath as he put over his lab coat. KAOS's amused voice sounded in his ear. **"Wow, you really lost it back there, didn't you?"**

"Don't remind me," he muttered as he went out to join his fellow scientists, who were looking at him with a very annoying smirk, which Peter tried to ignore as he went to his usual station in the lab. He was about to start working on the neural chip when a voice said next to him. "Looks like you met our newest scientist." 

Peter turned his head around to see a smirking Mike Anderson, one of his seniors in the department. Actually, almost every scientist working in the building was his senior. He and Mike had a good friendship, though not as good as Peter had with Smith. Mike was Peter's predecessor in the prosthetics department, until Peter replaced him. Mike, however, was not jealous or anything. In fact, he took it in stride and became one of the scientists under Peter. He was also 10 years older than Peter. 

Peter rolled his eyes. "Good morning to you too, Mike." Then he went back to his work. He needed something to distract his mind from the images of Gwen.

Mike came over to Peter's station and fiddled with a circuit. "You know that Stacy is only three years older than you, right?" 

With that statement, a ray of hope blossomed in his chest. He could work with that. No problem at all. 

"I hope you're not planning on making moves on her anytime soon, Mike." 

There was that annoying smirk again. "Why? Planning on doing that yourself? And what if I do?" 

Peter knew from experience that he was horrible at talking to beautiful girls like Gwen. Even when he first met MJ, he had been tongue tied. It was only when they became friends and later best friends, he was able to ask her out. And even then he had needed Harry's assistance. "You are 7 years to old to be making moves on her, Mike. And I sincerely hope you don't, for your wife's sake." 

The last statement wiped that smirk right off the older scientist's face. Because he did not wear a ring, many assumed that Anderson was a bachelor. There were very few people that knew of his married status, with Peter being one of them. 

How, you ask? 

KAOS was awesome. 

Knocked from his high horse, Mike turned around and returned to his station, tossing the circuit back. Peter sighed and continued to work. Mike was a fun guy to be around, but sometimes he was just too annoying. For the rest of the day, Peter worked on his project, with occasional thoughts of Gwen Stacy filling his mind. At lunch, he was about to go and sit with her, to get to know her better, of course. But she was already sitting with three other female scientists and chatting, one of which seemed to hate Peter's guts for something he didn't even know. 

He had glanced around the cafeteria once and had internally winced at the competition. Almost every guy that was around his or Gwen's age was eyeing her appreciatively, and eyeing each other in competition. Peter had sighed depressingly and continued to eat lunch. Competition everywhere. 

After his day's work was over, he exited the Horizon labs and went out on patrol. Nowadays, there was not much crime to stop, so the patrols were mostly uneventful, save for the occasional car chase and bank robbery. On his lucky days, he would get a hostage situation. So there he was, sitting on top of the Empire state, eating pizza. As he finished his last slice, KAOS spoke up, a call ringing in his HUD. **"Incoming call from an unknown number, Peter."**

Peter frowned. An unknown number meant this call would likely be encrypted, and the person on the other side didn't want it to be traced. Nevertheless...............................

"Answer call." 

KAOS picked up and a shockingly familiar, yet unfamiliar at the same time, voice spoke on the other side. "Am I speaking to Peter Parker?"

Peter blinked a bit behind his mask. Then he got his bearings back and replied. "Am I speaking to Tony Stark?" 

He was proud how even his voice sounded when talking to his childhood idol. "Well, yes," wow, he sounded surprised. "I would like to talk to you, Mr. Parker, about an important matter, urgently. When can we meet today?" 

It was now Peter's turn to be surprised. What would someone like Tony Stark want from a nobody like Peter Parker? Unless it was about.........................

"We can meet in 10 minutes, if you want. I will send you a location." 

Tony Stark sounded incredibly pleased on the other side. "Great! Meet you there!" 

And he hung up after that. Peter was deeply thinking about what Iron man could want with Spiderman. Was it something related to the accords? 

KAOS almost seemed hesitant when asking. **"Peter, what will you do?"**

"Huh, what?" 

She repeated her question, this time with a bit more force. **"What will you do when Mr. Stark asks about Spiderman? What if he knows?"**

Peter pursed his lips as he thought about the answer. Tony Stark had an AI long before KAOS came online, so it would be wise to assume that he knows about him being Spiderman. But if he didn't............................... "I'll tell him." 

KAOS sounded shocked. **"Peter! Don't forget you have a secret identity for a reason! And to tell Tony Stark-"**

Peter interrupted her. "Calm down, KAOS." When she had, he continued, "I know that telling Mr. Stark my secret identity is a huge risk, but it had to happen sometime, if not now. It's better to be on the side of the accords now than being locked up in a cell later for not signing it. Besides.............................." 

**"Besides what, Peter?"**

"..............................I have a feeling that we can trust Tony Stark. After all, Spiderman would have eventually met him down the line anyways. Send him the location of my lab." 

XXXXXXX 

Tony found himself standing outside a small warehouse on the Lower East side. At first, when he arrived in his Audi, he could not understand why Parker would choose a place such as this to meet with him? A creepy warehouse? 

Tony had tried to peek in through the windows, but they were blocked by black curtains and as such, he could not see anything. He impatiently tapped his foot, glancing at his watch. He knew Parker had told him that he could meet in ten minutes, and it had only been seven minutes since then, but he was still impatient. That's just who who he was, he was not fond of waiting, he always operated at high speed. 

"Waiting doesn't seem to suit you, Mr. Stark." 

The voice that suddenly spoke behind him caused him to nearly heart attack. He whirled around with wide eyes, only to find himself face to face with a young man, with brown hair and brown eyes, like Tony's (that was a coincidence, right?) and an amused smile on his face. He let out the breath he was holding and gave an irritated look to the guy. This was probably Peter Parker. "Are you Peter Parker?" 

The amused look slipped from his face and he gave a nod of agreement, followed by an innocently confused look. "Mr. Stark, why are you waiting outside the lab? I already told my assistant to unlock the door several minutes ago." 

Tony raised an eyebrow. "Ok, first of all, this is your lab? Second, what assistant? I didn't see anyone come here, and I've already checked that there are no backgates to this warehouse." 

Parker honestly look so completely confused as he went to the door of the warehouse and pulled the handle down. Tony felt his brain short circuit for a moment as the door opened easily, with Peter giving him the same confused look. Then he remembered that Peter was a scientist. He chuckled, "I see. There is no assistant, is there? You opened the door remotely from somewhere." 

He watched as the innocent look fell apart, revealing a smirk on Parker's face. It was then he got a good look at Parker's eyes. They had a mischievous look to them, and had a gleam in them. A gleam that showed that Parker was an extremely intelligent and shrewd man. The same gleam that Tony was used to seeing in his own eyes. Nevertheless, he followed him inside and found himself getting slightly impressed. The inside of the lab was obviously not as good as his own, but it was impressive for a lab in a warehouse. Then again, he had one of the best labs in the world. 

As Parker went to put his bag down, Tony found his eyes drawn to the two different tables in the lab. One of them had various vials, beakers of chemicals, som screens along with a whiteboard filled with extremely complex equations. While Tony was no expert in chemistry, that being more like Bruce's field, he could tell that Peter was highly intelligent to tackle equations such as these. His gaze flicked upward to read the title of the board and his breath hitched. 

WEBBING 4.0- CONCRETE WEBBING 

His face jerked around towards Peter, who was intently watching him with a raised eyebrow. His face then flicked over to the other table in the lab, which was more like his kid of desk. It was neatly organized with gadgets, wires, circuit boards, tools and some more screens. There were some papers as well and upon a closer look, they were revealed to be designs of Spiderman's suit and gadgets, with various sketches outlining different parts of the suit. Clearly, this was some work to upgrades. 

He faced Peter again, who was watching him curiously. His brain tried to connect the dots. The lab, the science, the tech- all of this pointed to one thing. "Are you Spiderman's tech guy?" 

An amused smile appeared on the kid's face, as if he found the question quite humorous. "You can say that." Then the smile was replaced with a more serious expression, which Tony mirrored automatically. "Is the talk we are going to have about Spiderman?"

Tony nodded as he took a seat on one of the chairs. Damn, they were comfortable. "Yeah, so if you could please call him, it would be great." 

Tony was starting to get irritated from the way the kid's face showed amusement every five minutes. Before he could voice his irritation, probably with an insult, Peter opened his mouth first. "You're looking at him, Mr. Stark." 

Sometimes, the filter between the brain and mouth that all people have seems to malfunction. However, in Tony's case, it was more like the filter wasn't fast enough to keep up with his brain. "I don't see wha-" 

It was then his brain caught up with what Peter said, causing him to freeze mid-sentence. He would deny it later, but he was at gaping Peter right now. Peter was Spiderman. This kid was Spiderman. Spiderman was a kid. Not an adult, but a kid. 

Hang on. His file said Peter Parker was currently twenty two years old and employed at Horizon labs. 

Scratch the earlier statement. Peter Parker was not a kid, and Spiderman was not a kid. "You're Spiderman?" 

Peter nodded and walked over to water filter. He filled out two glasses and brought them over, giving one of them to Tony, who graciously accepted it and downed the whole thing. Peter said after taking a sip, "I would have called you to my home if I didn't want you to know. But I still thought that there would be a very small chance that you did _not_ know." 

Tony narrowed his eyes in question. "Why would you think I wouldn't know?" 

Peter held up a hand. "Sorry if that came out offending, but considering every possibility seemed like a wise choice. You didn't even know that I was Spiderman when you came into this lab, assuming I'm his tech guy. I think it's good that I kept my cards to myself until you revealed yours, won't you say?" 

Wow, this kid was extremely clever. Tony chuckled and waved a hand. "No offence taken, kid." Let the record say that when he said kid, he meant in terms of age, not an actual kid. "You've got some good stuff here, kid. But unfortunately," he got up from the chair and leaned on the table, right next to Peter, "That's not what I'm here for." 

When he saw that Peter was still waiting for him to tell him, he found himself internally smirking. The kid ws smart. "You know what I find really interesting? Your webbing. Its tensile strength is off. the. charts." His voice held the tiniest amount of awe, mixed with respect. "Who manufactured it?" Though he already knew the answer, he still asked. 

Peter smiled. "I'm honored you feel that way about my creation." 

The awe in Tony's voice only increased. "You created that webbing when you were fifteen?!" 

Peter ducked his head at the praise. It was not everyday you hear praise from your childhood hero. Peter wondered if Tony also knew about his web shooters as well. 

On the other hand, Tony was, hands down, damn impressed with Peter Parker. The kid had created something phenomenal as the webbing when he was not even a senior in high school. That was some serious intelligence right here. One question though...................

"How do you fire the webs? Is it through your body or some kind of gadget?" 

Peter chuckled beside him. "No Mr. Stark. I did not have organic webbing back in high school, so I created something called web shooters." He pulled up his sleeves to show the devices attached to his wrists. 

Tony had to physically restrain himself from groping the kid's wrist so he could study those web shooters. They were black and sleek, and being an engineer himself, Tony could see that they had gone under various modifications over the years. The curious, mechanic part of himself wanted to study how they worked, what triggered the webs, how did the kid switch between the different forms and shapes of his webs. He was itching to study them. 

"But I know you're not here to geek out over my gadgets." Tony lifted his face to mock glare at Peter, who smirked, but quickly turned serious. "Why _do_ you need Spiderman's help?" 

Tony turned serious and released a big sigh, suddenly looking very exhausted, which he was. "Capt. America and the Falcon have gone rogue. They've refused to sign the accords, and they're helping the Winter soldier evade custody, who turns out to be Roger's old war buddy, James Buchanan Barnes. Apparently, HYDRA nabbed him after he fell to his apparent death in WW2 and injected him with a knock off version of the super soldier serum, then brainwashed him into becoming their prime assassin. Supposedly, they've been keeping him in cryogenic sleep and only pull him out of it for doing missions. Barnes was caught on a security tape planting a bomb in Vienna." 

Peter listened to the man patiently. It was clear that the man was very exhausted, so after Tony finished speaking, Peter gently wrapped an arm around Tony's shoulders and guided him into one of the chairs. Tony looked surprised, but sat down all the same. Only this time, he almost sunk into the cushions. Peter himself sat on the table, his legs dangling. "I somehow knew this would be something related to the accords, Mr. Stark. I have been following the news, and I wholeheartedly agree with the idea that superheroes need someone to oversee them, to make sure they take responsibilities for their actions." 

Tony's face lifted up with some sort of hope, which Peter found somewhat perplexing. Then it occurred to him- with all the resistance against the accords Captain America had been giving, it must have been somewhat refreshing to find someone who is actually in support of those documents. But..............

"However," Peter began, "They are not perfect. There are some clauses in them that are just asking for trouble, and some that outright go against the Human rights. Me, and friend of mine whose a lawyer, and my baby girl have read the documents and have put all the changes we thought were appropriate. I want those clauses to be addressed before I sign the document." 

Tony was confused. "First, you have a lawyer? Since when did Spiderman have a lawyer? Second, what baby girl? You can't seriously be married at your age." 

**"He means me, Mr. Stark."**

The female voice that came out of nowhere completely startled Tony, causing him to stand up in a flash and look around for the possible threat. Dammit, he didn't have one of his suits right now! He immediately stood in front of Peter to protect him, lifting his watch to tell FRIDAY- 

"Dammit, K, I thought I told you not to scare the man," Peter muttered from behind Tony, causing him to whirl around in confusion. Who was K? 

**"Sorry Pete, but I just couldn't resist."** The voice sounded....................sheepish? 

No. Just no. There was no way this kid..........................

Peter had a slightly guilty look on his face as he stared at Tony, causing him to narrow his eyes. "Alright, Parker. Spill the beans. Who is K?" 

".......................................She is an artificial intelligence that I created, Mr. Stark." Peter replied as he clapped twice, causing the lab to be filled with light as multiple holograms came to light. Tony gaped as he stared at the holograms. It was as if he was in a completely different place right now. Not two seconds ago, this was a dingy lab in an inconspicuous, small warehouse. Now, it was almost like he was back in his workshop at Malibu. 

The holograms were of incredibly high quality, the kind that he would expect to come from his own handiwork. The holographic projections were in the air around them, each of them showing either a news feed, or some scientific material that Tony was willing to bet was work on Spiderman upgrades. Tony was blown away by it all, completely. This kid was smart enough to have created an AI, all on his own apparently. This was not some above average intelligence that popped up almost four times in a week, no. 

This was Bruce Banner, or Tony Stark level smart. To accomplish such things all on his won.....................

It was like looking in a mirror. 

Tony faced Peter again, who had a contemplative look on his face. "Kid, you built an AI, all by yourself?" The words were said slowly, as Tony was still trying to come to terms that someone else was capable of creating an AI like him. 

Peter smiled proudly and nodded. "Yep, all by myself. She is my baby girl." His voice held the love that a parent showed to their child, the same love that Tony himself held for all his creations. DUM-E, U, BUTTERFINGERS, JARVIS, FRIDAY- they were all his creations, his children, and he loved them with all his heart. 

Toy found himself asking, "What's her full name?" 

Peter smiled as he waved a hologram to him. "Her name is K-A-O-S. KAOS." 

Tony honestly could not help the snort. "Seriously? What does it stand for?" 

"Kick Ass Operating System." 

Tony stared at Peter for a full minute in disbelief. The he turned as head away, muttering. "Dammit, why didn't I think of that before?" 

Peter huffed out a laugh before he could help himself, and Tony found himself chuckling along with Peter. The kid's sense of humor was great. 

Peter controlled his laugh and got himself back on track. "Alright, getting serious once again." Once he had Tony's attention again, he continued. "To answer your previous questions, I don't have a lawyer, just a friend who I consult from time to time. The accords seemed like a matter that needed a bit of consulting in matters of the law. KAOS?" 

**"Already sent the file to Mr. Stark, Pete."**

Tony felt his phone 'ping', which he brought up to see a notification for a pdf file. He looked up and commented, "You seem to have thought this through, Parker. Any specific changes you want to summarise before I go through with the reading?" 

Peter looked up in thought for a moment, then looked back at him with a serious frown. "First of all, the clause of indefinite detention without trial needs to go, along with wearing tracking bracelets. Those clauses are outright violations of the Human rights." 

Tony grimaced. "Yeah, you can thank our Secretary of state for that." 

Peter rose an eyebrow. "Thaddeus Ross? Why would he do that?" 

Tony's grimace did not go away as he elaborated a bit further. "Trust me, the guy's a complete asshole. He is literally obsessed over having all the superhumans under his control. And he hates me." 

Peter frowned in confusion. "I thought that someone as politically influential as you would have some dirt on those type of people." 

Tony paused. Now there was an idea. Why didn't he think of this before? "You know, you might be onto something. But that's for later. Anything else I should know about your changes?" 

Peter tried to recall, then said. "It's also a no from me on the DNA sample. That's just a fucking disaster waiting to happen. Why the hell would you need the DNA of superhumans when you already have their biometric scans?" 

Tony pursed his lips. "That one might be harder to take off the document, but I'll try my best. Ross will be fighting me every step of the way." Not for long, though.

Peter nodded to himself. "Back to the matter at hand, you need Spiderman's help to bring the rogues in. But why would Captain America be against accountability?" 

Tony sighed in annoyance. "That guy is as stubborn as a mule that existed back in the 40s. He thinks the accords are a bunch of red tape document that take away the freedom of choice, and are a way for the governments with "agendas"," he made air quotes with his hands, "to control the Avengers. I tried telling him that the accords are amendable, but he won't listen. I doubt he has even read the document." 

Peter slowly approached Tony, a thoughtful expression on his face. "If I help you capture them, Mr. Stark, what will happen?" 

Tony frowned, not liking the answer he was about to give. "I have been ordered to bring Rogers and his team in. They will be handed over to Ross then. Even if I could convince him, and that's a very big "if", to give me a last chance to try and convince Rogers to sign the accords, to try and convince Rogers that the accords are for the good of the world, it would be like trying and smashing my way through his vibranium shield."

Peter scratched his neck as he tried to think up of some way to make Captain America to see reason. He turned to Tony. "Mr. Stark, you were the one who flew that missile into the portal years ago. Correct?" 

If this had been 3 years ago, the question would have sent Tony into a panic attack straight away. But now, he just took a deep, calming breath and answered. "So what if I was?" 

"Mr. Stark, you are the only one, in this entire world, who has seen what's out there." Tony looked straight into Peter's eyes with question. Peter continued, "The alien invasion all those years ago has confirmed that we are not alone in this universe. For all we know, there could be an alien invasion next week, and the Avengers won't be there to fight because one man did not agree with a piece of paper!" 

Tony ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "It's not as easy as you are making it out to be, kid. Rogers is a stubborn man, who really doesn't want to listen to anything that doesn't go in his way." 

Tony was surprised when a hard look came over Peter's features, and absently wondered if this was the same look the he wore underneath the mask among the rare times Spiderman was serious. "He will listen, Mr. Stark. I will make him listen." 

Tony just stared at Peter, the determination on his face was somehow very........................it made him curious. "Why are you so bent on convincing him, Peter?" 

The hard look was replaced by a soft one. "Mr. Stark, after operating as Spiderman for over seven years, I have always placed the needs of the people above my own. Captain Rogers needs to take into account of the people's needs, and work with them. If the Avengers are ripped apart, Mr. Stark, then there could be ramifications that would make the Devil's breath look like a pleasant dream." 

Tony pursed his lips together as he thought about it. He had seen what was on the other side, and they needed as much help as there was. It was why he had been so desperate to Steve, to not break the Avengers apart. But Steve had never been too trusting of Tony, for a reason that Tony had been unable to fathom. Peter, on the other hand......................................

Rogers held Spiderman in high regard, because Spiderman had been protecting New York with complete dedication for years, unlike them. Maybe he would listen to him? After all, Peter had also denied to sign the accords until the changes he had made were implemented. That could be a plus point in Roger's book. A hero fighting against the law because it wasn't good enough, but willing to go with it if rectified. 

This could work, but.................................

"Rogers will not go quietly, kid." 

To his surprise, Peter merely scoffed. "Mr. Stark, I have spent years, honing my skills. If he goes up against me, you can be sure that out of ten fights we would have, he would lose all of them. He is a human at operating at the highest potential, whereas I am a superhuman who has surpassed that peak so much that I can't even see it behind anymore." 

"He won't be alone!" 

"And you will be?" Peter fired back. "You have you, me, black widow, Vision, freaking _War machine_ on your side, Mr. Stark!" He stepped a bit closer and rubbed Tony's shoulder gently, smiling. "Have a bit of faith in me. In your friends." 

Tony was speechless in a long time. There was so much assurance, Peter seemed so sure about them winning, that it boosted Tony's confidence through the roof. He was a hundred percent sure that he had never felt more confident in his life. 

He could do this. _They_ could do this. 

He nodded, his eyes gleaming with challenge. "Let's do this. We'll need to go to Germany first, though. You got a passport?" 

In a way that tickled Tony's funny bone, Peter sagged and seemed to lose all energy he had a moment ago. "No, I have never left the New York tri-state area." He went back to fiddling with the holograms, swiping them around aimlessly. He brought up a hologram with upgrade ideas for his spider drones, pretending to work on it to avoid embarrassment. 

Tony just laughed lightly as he walked up to the young genius and slapped him on the shoulder. It then occurred to him for the first time just how tall Peter was. He was maybe just an inch or two short from Steve Rogers. "Passport is the least of your problems, Pete. I can pull some strings. Consider it a favor returned, for helping me with this accords fiasco." 

Peter was about to say something when his phone rang. He frowned and pulled it out of his pocket. "Hello?...........................no, actually...........................yeah, that's it. Okay, keep me updated. Bye." 

He turned to Tony, only to double back in surprise when he saw genuine horror and disgust on his face. "What the hell is _that_?" 

Peter fronwed and said, "It's a phone." 

"From the rock ages?!" 

Peter rolled his eyes at how dramatic the man was being. "It gets my work done, so I don't have a problem with it." 

Tony actually _shivered_ in disgust. "Remind me to give you a better one." 

"I won't," Peter cheerfully quipped back. 

Tony nodded before he stopped halfway, glaring at Peter for his reply. "Just pack what you need and be ready in three hours," he grumbled as he made his way out of the lab. 

As soon as he exited, Peter went straight to work. He took out his suit, checking to see if it needed repair work, before beginning to restock his web gadgets. "KAOS, will you please call Max for me?" 

**"Connecting."** After three rings, his boss picked up. "What's up, Peter?" 

Peter was restocking his web bombs when Max picked up. "Hey Max, I just called to inform you that due to an emergency, I will not be coming to work for three days." 

There was minor surprise from the other man. "Oh? And is there any reason why didn't inform me earlier?" 

Peter rolled his eyes as he checked his concussive blasts. His sarcasm was spot on, "Oh, I'm sorry, next time I'll call the emergency and ask when it is coming so I could inform you earlier." 

The embarrassment in the other man's voice was clear. "Ah.......................well, I guess...........................thanks for informing me." 

"Yeah, and in my absence, I'm appointing Williams as my deputy. If Anderson throws a fit, tell him he can go and chuck himself into a pile of super glue." 

He made a motion for KAOS to hang up the call, which she did. After checking and stocking up on his web gadgets, he checked his suit's electrical systems. He wanted to make sure KAOS would function without problem when he was fighting a walking American flag. 

**"Peter, just _how_ will you convince Captain Rogers to not break the Avengers?" **

Peter paused in his check. "Mr. Stark said that Steve Rogers is a stubborn man who did not like when things did not go his way. I'm just going to web him up and make him listen. The world needs the Avengers, and I won't let them break apart because someone did not like it. If I can do something then I will." 

KAOS gave an audible sigh. **"I hope you know what you're doing, Peter."**

Peter nodded as he finished his check up. "So do I, K. So do I."


	4. The Battle of the Airport

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was good to have intel on who he was going to fight. Going in blind and head first always ended up with a disaster. It was a lesson he had learned over the years, and learned well.
> 
> Also, why was it so easy to take everyone down?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please forgive my simplicity concerning the accords. I just suck at politics.
> 
> The responses so far have been positive, but lesser than what I had been expecting. Not unexpected, since most of the people just read the story and leave, without any sort of feedback.
> 
> It kind of hurts, you know.
> 
> So this is how it will be- I won't update the next chapter after this until I get at least 15 comments on this one. 
> 
> Waiting on you now.

It had been two hours since Tony Stark had left his lab, and Peter was analyzing some of the suggestions that KAOS had for improving his cement webbing's dissolving time. As he read and checked each chemical equation, his mind played over his conversation with Mr. Stark.

The man was very different from the person that Peter was used to seeing on TV. He looked more..... _genuine_ in person. He clearly had built a mask for dealing with the public and the press, and Peter felt that the mask had slipped a few times when he was talking to him. Mr. Stark genuinely did not want the accords to tear the Avengers apart, because he was the only person who knew what was out there, and he _knew_ that they needed all the power they had at their disposal if they were to survive in the next few years. 

Speaking of the accords, Peter had brushed up on the latest news of the bombing in Vienna. Supposedly, the Winter Soldier, James Buchanan Barnes, had planted a bomb in Vienna and was caught on camera. A gruelling chase, that involved the Winter Soldier, Captain America and some guy in a panther styled outfit had taken place in Berlin. Thankfully, no one had been killed in the chase, but the collateral damage that had been caused was of millions. Also, it seemed that while fighting their way out of a building, Cap and Winter Soldier had quite seriously injured the members of a SWAT force that had been sent to capture them. 

Once the chase was over and the people involved captured, they were taken to the headquarters of JCTC, the Joint Counter Terrorist Center compound, where Barnes was triggered by a person who got himself in as a psychologist evaluating him. The Winter Soldier, after a fight and pushing everyone out of the way, went missing, along with Rogers and Sam Wilson, aka Falcon. Secretary of state, Thaddeus Ross, then gave Mr. Stark 36 hours to bring the rogues in, which was very little time. 

Before Peter could think upon this further, a horn sounded on the outside of his lab. Taking a deep breath and releasing it, he relaxed and stood up. He picked up his backpack, which had his suit inside and some spare clothes, along with a toothbrush, and walked outside. He spoke to his AI, "KAOS, initiate Lockdown protocol, password as 'Benjamin'. No one will enter the lab until I return." 

**"Understood, Peter."**

It might have seemed from the outside, that nothing had happened, but KAOS had activated all the sub-security protocols, along with every trap that Peter had installed in the lab. The place was nothing less than a minefield now. Walking to the very expensive looking car, he opened the door and sat down in the seat behind, coming face to face with Tony Stark. "You ready to go?" 

XXXXXXX

Peter sat in the quinjet, calm on the outside, but completely geeking out inside. This was the jet of the Avengers! The tech inside was something he could only dream about, and there were so many questions swimming inside his head right now, questions that badly wanted to exited through his mouth, but there were more important matters that needed addressing. "So what was it exactly in the document that Captain Rogers has a problem with, Mr. Stark?" 

The man, who was seating on the pilot seat, turned around with a sigh. "Tony is fine, kid. Mr. Stark makes me feel like my old man. He thinks that the documents prevent him from going where he needs to be. He thinks that he doesn't need permission to do what's right. He thinks that if there is a major catastrophe taking place, the accords will be a hindrance and stop him from reaching where he needs to be in time." 

Peter got up from his seat and walked to Tony. "Well, the public is right to be scared when bad guys attack them, and it doesn't help when the heroes, who come to save them, wreak havoc while fighting, not to mention causing casualties. Preventing where he needs to be? He is partially right about that one." 

Tony ran a hand down his face. "Don't I know it?"

Peter continued, "Also, you don't need permission to do something that's right, but if it can be done in a more efficient and fruitful way, he has to be accepting of that. The accords won't stop us from doing what's right, but simply oversee us and check whether we _are_ doing it right." 

Tony got up from his seat and slowly walked around the jet. It was obvious that he was very tense about the situation. "I tried very hard to convince him, you know? And I almost did, back at JCTC. He had the pen _in his hand_ , but then I screwed up and told him that Wanda had been confined to the compound because her visa's up in the air due to the bombing in Lagos." 

Peter frowned at how much blame the man was putting on himself. "Don't worry, Tony," wow, that felt weird, "We'll make this right. Perhaps I might be able to convince the good captain that the Accords are for the better." 

Tony smiles a little at that. "Let's hope you do, webhead." 

Peter grinned when Tony called him that. "You know, this is actually the first time one of the Avengers has addressed me so informally." 

Tony rolled his eyes. "Yeah, because we didn't talk much and when you did, it was mostly Rogers. I swear that guy is so uptight that sometimes I wonder if he has a flagpole riding up his ass." 

Peter cackled and Tony grinned. He was internally glad that the conversation had been steered from the topic that had been the cause for so many of his recent headaches. Peter sobered and asked in a teasing tone, "Hey, if you call me webhead, does that mean I get to call you shellhead?" 

"No way, Parker! Iron man is way more badass than that!" 

"Come on, your suit isn't even made of Iron! And besides, your suit requires the name of 'IRON MAN' to sound badass. I sound badass in pretty much every nickname I have!" 

"You're trying my patience, Parker." 

"Fine, be a grouchy old man," Peter grumbled, hiding a grin. The banter they were having was fun, and honestly, Peter never thought that he would be arguing with _fucking_ Iron man about nicknames of all things, but here he was. 

"Banter aside, there's something I need you to tell me." 

Tony looked up curiously from the console where he was adjusting the headings. Seeing he had his attention, Peter said. "If I'm going to go up against some of the most powerful people in the world, I need some info on their strengths and weaknesses." 

Tony smirked as he told FRIDAY to display the information on a nearby screen. "Didn't take you for a strategist kind of guy. I honestly used to think that you made your plans on the fly." 

Peter smirked as he sat down to study the info FRIDAY had displayed on the screen. "Well, I still do. My lack of a plan means my enemies have no way to counter it, because there is no plan in the first place. But if he is even half the strategist and tactician people say he is," the profile of Steve Rogers displayed onto the screen, "Then you definitely need some kind of plan." 

Tony watched curiously as Peter displayed the files of Captain America, Falcon, Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye and Winter Soldier at once. Tony had informed him that Wanda Maximoff had escaped the compound with the help of Hawkeye, who had surprisingly come out of retirement to help Cap's side. Vision had told him as soon as he had recovered from Wanda slamming him ten floors down in the compound.

"Obviously, we got to take out the more dangerous ones first. Cap, his buddy and Maximoff are all enhanced, so maybe we could......"

XXXXXXX 

Steve watched carefully as he got out from behind the pillar. He was a fugitive now, and as such, had to be careful when going anywhere. But he wasn't so naive to expect that he would be able to catch a ride to Siberia without meeting some resistance. He was definitely sure that Tony was on his way right now to intercept him. 

_Tony_....... The thought of his friend twisted his stomach with equal parts of guilt and shame. Guilt, because Steve didn't want Tony to take away his best friend when he'd gotten him back, no matter how much wrong Bucky had done as the Winter soldier. Shame, because he could never bring himself to tell Tony about the truth of his parents' death. If Tony found out the truth about Bucky, he would kill him, uncompromisingly. Ever since he'd learned the truth all those years ago in that bunker, Steve kept it to himself, constantly repeating in his mind that he was sparing Tony from the truth. But the cold reality was, he wanted to protect Bucky. He was sparing himself from the truth of what would happen if it were to come out in the open. As Howard's only child, Tony was the only person in the world who deserved to know the truth of how his parents died more than anyone else. 

And Steve kept it from him, so he could protect his best friend. He chose his friendship with Bucky, over his friendship with Tony's. He was a selfish man. 

He was a goddamn coward. 

Steve could see why Tony supported the accords. The man almost always looked like he carried the guilt of the world on his shoulders, and he desperately wanted to right his wrongs. But the accords were not the way to go. One glance at the documents had told him all he needed to know, and it wasn't helping the case at all when they were presented to them by the secretary of state, Thaddeus Ross. A ruthless individual, one who had a very dark past with his past hunting down of the hulk, in order to weaponize him. The accords were a way to prevent the Avengers from doing their jobs on the right time. 

Tony had taken the first step into breaking the Avengers apart. To be honest, Steve was a bit hesitant about the document when it was first presented to them, but the accountability appealed to his sense of justice. He had almost signed the accords, had he not learnt that Tony was keeping Wanda imprisoned at the compound. For Steve, it only convinced him more to stand against the Accords. Tony had no right to keep her there like that. 

He walked out of hiding, slowly breaking into a run towards the helicopter. All of a sudden, multiple, small devices latched onto the helicopter, emitting electric charges that rendered the helicopter useless.

EMP charges. Steve looked up, and sure enough, Iron man was hovering in the air, War machine right beside him.

They both zoomed towards the ground and gracefully landed. The red and gold helmet retracted and Tony's face was exposed to the world. Steve managed to hide a wince at his appearance. Tony had honestly seen better days- there were bags of exhaustion beneath his eyes, and his right eye sported an impressive bruise. "Wow, it's so weird how you run into people at the airport." Tony turned his head to Rhodes, his tone completely nonchalant. "Don't you think that's weird?" 

"Definitely weird." 

Steve pleaded to the billionaire. "Hear me out, Tony," he continued when Tony turned to him, "The psychiatrist, he's behind all of this." 

A sudden movement caused to look at his right. The black panther was back. "Captain." 

"Your highness." Tony started talking to him. "Anyway, Ross gave me 36 hours to bring you in, and that was 24 hours ago." 

Steve was about to tell that he was after the wrong guy, but Tony held up a hand. "But......it's still not too late. If you come in peacefully now, I promise you, Barnes will have a fair trial whether he truly was behind the bombing in Vienna or not." His tone was of pleading now, bordering on begging. "Please, Steve, it doesn't have to be the way Ross wants it to be." 

"And there are five other super soldiers just like him. I can't let the doctor find them first, Tony, I can't." Steve was shaking his head. "And why should Bucky be tried if he was innocent in the first place?" 

"Because even if he was not, _somebody_ made him a primary suspect in the bombing. If he is found innocent, then the charges against him will be dropped. And I can promise that he will get the best psychiatric help there is." 

Steve internally shook his head. He was torn between two very hard places. On one hand, he could see that Tony was being honest about what he was saying. But on the other hand, he did not want to risk Tony knowing the truth. God knows what he would do if he did. 

"There is only one way out of this situation, Steve." He turned his head to see Natasha on his right, looking very grim and serious. "Are you sure you want to punch your way out of this one?" 

Steve shook his head. "I get it that you want to resolve this properly, I really do. But by the time it's done, the doctor would already have gotten his hands on the five other soldiers. I'm sorry Tony, but I can't risk it." 

Tony looked like he was about to pull his hair out. "I'm trying to keep the you from tearing the Avengers apart!" He shouted in frustration. 

Steve calmly returned, "You did that when you signed." 

He was taken aback, though, when Tony furiously returned. "No, you did that when you refused to sign! You were scared that your buddy Barnes would be killed!" 

Steve had no reply for that, because he knew that Tony was right. Tony seemed to take his silence the wrong way, because the anger was then replaced by impatience. "Alright, I've run out of patience. WEBS!" 

Before Steve could comprehend what happened, his shield was snatched away from him and his hands bound in..........webs? 

_Does that mean.........?_

He looked up with wide eyes to see the figure of New York's most beloved superhero. Spiderman had made changes to his wardrobe over the years. His suit was no longer just red and blue, but it was red, blue and white. 

"Wish I could say it is nice to see you again, Cap." 

XXXXXXX

Peter was watching the interaction from a hidden spot. He almost wanted to shake his head at how Cap was acting. But if what Cap was saying was true, then they couldn't have picked a worse time to ambush the guy and his team. The last thing this world needed was five super soldiers completely out of their control. 

He could see that Cap was desperate stop the doctor, whoever it was who wanted to control the five winter soldiers. But he was in a very bad position right now, because no matter how serious or how right he may be, people were extremely wary of taking the word of a fugitive. Cap had put his buddy Barnes above the law, and that was not something that could be allowed to stand. Because no matter who it was, they had to obey the law. As the Winter soldier, Barnes had been operating for decades, being the major cause of several political assassinations and world-scale sabotage. But then again, he was under HYDRA's control, so his crimes as Winter soldier could be forgiven. 

Though Peter wasn't sure Cap could see that. He turned his head around, trying to spot the opposing team. None were out in the open, but that doesn't mean they weren't here. They could be hiding like him, waiting for the right moment. But Peter had KAOS on his side, and she was every bit good as her name implied. 

"KAOS, activate thermal imaging and do a sweep of the airport. I want to know where the others are." 

At his command, his HUD switched to IR, allowing him to see in heat signature. True, he could also use his Spider-sense, but only if thermal imaging failed. 

**"Hawkeye and Scarlet witch are hiding in the parking deck, 150 meters from Cap's position. I also spotted something funny, though."**

Peter's brow furrowed. "What do you mean, funny?" 

KAOS's tone was laced with curiosity. **"There seems to be a tiny object 10 meters to the left of Mr. Stark. The funny thing, though, is that it is moving at the speed of an ant, but has the heat signature of a baseline human."**

Peter's eyebrows shot up a bit at that. An ant that is as hot as a human being? He had never heard of anything like that. Something didn't seem right here. Regardless, he would keep his guard up. "What about Cap's buddy and the Falcon?" 

**"Sorry Peter, but my sweep couldn't find them."**

But Peter wasn't annoyed at all. "Then maybe they aren't in your field of vision." 

He activated his Spider-sense, slowly spreading it out. A moment later, he found them both. They were hiding, well, not really hiding, but they were standing 10 meters above him, in the terminal. Now that he knew where everyone was, this should be a bit easier. 

He snapped out of his thoughts just in time to hear Tony give him the signal to appear. He jumped from his position, webbing Cap's shield to him and at the same time, binding his hands with webs. If it were anywhere else, he would have quietly chuckled at the look of bafflement and complete surprise on Cap's face. But this was not the time, or place. His voice held a grim tone to it as he stood up from his crouch. "Wish I could say it is nice to see you again, Cap." 

He gave Cap credit, for he quickly snapped out of his shock. He turned to Tony and said in a calm tone, "You've been busy." 

"And you've been a complete idiot!" Peter could see Tony was very close to snapping and hitting Cap his repulsors. "I'm telling you, Steve, it's still not too late to fix this." 

But Cap wasn't listening. In fact, he looked as if he was still in control of the situation. With his heightened senses, Peter picked up some chatter from his earpiece. "-ound it. The quinjet's in hanger 5." 

That was the Falcon's voice, and presumably some sort of a signal, for his spider-sense slightly tingled, and Cap raised his hands for the arrow that was sailing through the air, to snap his webs. The lenses of his mask narrowed. A fight it was, then. 

The tingle increased, and Peter was caught off guard, even with his spider-sense, when some guy literally came out of _nowhere_ , kicking Peter in the face and taking the shield away from his hold. Peter was willing to bet that this was the ant KAOS was talking about. 

Ant-man landed beside Cap and gave it to him, speaking in a pompous tone. "I believe this is yours, Captain America." 

Whoever was this guy, Peter had not accounted for him. It seemed he could shrink to the size of an ant and grow back. As he kipped up, he spoke through the comms. "Guys, Hawkeye and the Witch are in the parking deck, with Winter soldier and the Falcon in the terminal." 

The black panther dude was immediately moving. "Barnes is mine!" 

Iron man had already sped in pursuit of the archer and the witch, leaving War machine to deal with Cap. But Cap threw his shield at War machine, hitting him in the chest. Peter could see that black panther would be held back by him as well. And speaking of black, where the hell was widow?!

He was moving as he spoke. "I am moving to engage Barnes and Falcon." 

War machine replied to him. "Roger that." 

Peter webbed himself up to the outside of the glass of the terminal, easily sticking to it and running along with the two inside. He ran with his legs as his right hand ghosted along the glass. He could hear the conversation inside. 

"What the hell is that?!" 

That probably was Barnes, because Falcon grumbled after him. "Everyone's got a gimmick now!" 

'Falcon could give me trouble from the air. Best take him out first,' he strategized as he spun a web line, swinging and gathering momentum to smash his way through the glass, sailing feet first into the Winter soldier. The man gave a grunt as he was violently thrown back into the wall behind, smashing that glass as well, but Peter was not distracted. He had taught himself over the years how to recognize opponents against whom he can afford to cut loose a little of his strength. Winter soldier could take much more than that crash. Peter flipped onto his feet and waited for the attack.

As he expected, the Falcon came flying towards him, apparently hoping to take advantage of his seeming distraction, which Peter was not. His spider-sense slowed down the world for him, giving him plenty of time to react. He timed his back flip perfectly, for he landed on the back of the man. But it seemed Peter underestimated him a little, for Wilson immediately began flying recklessly, yet gracefully, trying violently to shake him off. Peter had no problem in remaining stuck, but he if he hadn't jumped off, he would have smacked his head on one of the supporting beams, _hard_. 

He jumped off Wilson's back in a back flip, snagging to webs on a beam and swinging to land on the ceiling, upside down. He immediately flipped to the side to avoid a blast from the Falcon. "Let's keep the collateral to a minimum, guys," he said in a casual, yet reprimanding tone, which was completely ignored. He fired a concussive blast at the Falcon, who was only a little ruffled by it. He flipped in the air only once before steadying, but Spiderman was no longer in front of him. 

"What the- Where'd he go?!" 

"Behind you!" 

Unfortunately, the warning came in too late, for something latched onto the exposed part of his neck and suddenly, it _hurt_. Peter watched as the electric web shot caused the man to spasm, and he grabbed his chance. That tazing only held for five seconds, and he would make them count. As soon as the electricity disappeared, Peter swung onto Wilson's back hard enough to send them going down. He knew it would take at least half a minute for the man to reorient himself from a taser shot so close to the brain. But apparently he didn't give him- or was it the armor made by Tony- enough credit, for Wilson once again started flying, trying to crash him into something.

But before he get anymore reckless, Peter made a fist and smashed the wing pack on his back, disabling the wings instantly. Wilson cursed loudly as he braced himself for the crash landing that never came. Peter acted quickly and snagged the man into a thick cocoon, hanging from the ceiling. He made it thick enough that no part of Wilson's body would move except his head. He flipped from his web and landed on the ground, spinning a web line just in time to catch the projectile Barnes had thrown to cut the web. He webbed it towards him, eyeing Barnes with a smirk under his mask. "Now now, let's all play nice and don't hurt each other.......too much."

He webbed the object to the ground and threw a few webshots, watching Barnes easily dodge them. He turned to Wilson, who was scowling disgustedly. Before he could speak, however, Peter lifted a hand and said, "You hang around. I'll deal with him and then we can talk how cool your wings are." 

Ignoring the man's sputters, he turned around, but Barnes was no longer in his sight. He carefully crept forward, activating his spider-sense to find the man. He was standing behind a structure behind Falcon. But Peter acted like he didn't know- a fight between two enhanced humans could get serious, and he didn't want a non-enhanced to get injured. The intensity of his spider-sense increased, indicating that Barnes was making his way to him, soundlessly. It impressed Peter greatly; if not for hsi enhanced hearing, he doubted he could have heard him coming. He fought like every bit the assassin his file said he was. 

Peter smirked under his mask as his spider-sense increased suddenly in intensity, which meant Barnes was attacking. He spun to his right, just in time to casually catch Barnes's metal arm with his left. "The metal arm is awesome, dude!" 

Barnes had a shocked expression on his face, which told Peter he wasn't used to seeing people stopping the full force of his arm. Seriously, Peter was used to dealing with the likes of Rhino, this guy's arm was nothing to him. "Do you know what's it made of?" 

That seemed to snap Barnes out of his shock, for his right knee came to bury itself in his stomach. Peter's knee met his, both of their legs crashing. Barnes pulled his leg back, and his other fist flew towards Peter's face. Peter easily caught it with his other hand, and when he had both of Barnes's fists in his, he just twisted him in the hold, kicking him in the back with just enough force to faceplant on the glass, causing it to crack. But Barnes didn't go down, he turned and looked at Peter with a critical eye. 

"What? Is there something on my face?" Peter joked. Not one of his best ones, though. 

Barnes spoke in a calm tone. "You are taller than you look on TV." 

Ouch. "Seriously?! Man, I gotta tell you, the cameras have no respect for me at all!" 

"I don't know if you've been in a fight before, but there's usually not this much talking!" 

Peter's lenses narrowed in annoyance as he turned to face the grounded bird-man. "Clearly you haven't been watching the news for the last 7 years!" 

He then gracefully flipped over the punch Barnes had thrown at him, thinking he had been distracted. As he expertly weaved between the attacks, he started talking. "Gotta say, pal. For an old man, you are pretty spry! I can't hear your bones creaking. You've been living for what, like a 100 years now? Also, how do you compensate the weight of that arm? Does it unbalance you? It has to, because there's no way HYDRA managed to make that arm such that it weighed just like your other arm!" 

Usually, his opponents were outright enraged by this point that they started to attack even more furiously, losing precision and making mistakes. But Barnes was turning out to be a very focused fighter. He paid no attention to Peter's babble, silently attacking even more faster. At this point, Peter realized that he couldn't count on the Winter soldier to make a mistake. He would have to take control and end the fight on his terms. 

"You don't wanna talk? Have it your way!" A web shot directly onto Barnes's mouth, pushing him back a little. Peter took his chance and as quick as lightning, slid between his legs and behind his back, landing a double kick on Barnes. He went flying a few feet, landing face first on the floor. But he quickly got up, the web no longer on his mouth, but his expression carried a hint of disgust. 

Peter took the initiative this time and moved in to engage, forcing Barnes on the defensive. The spider-fu really came in handy, for it took him only a minute to hit the nerve clusters and pressure points, but even though he added a few punches and kicks as well, the former were more effective. Barnes's style relied more on his enhanced strength of his musculature and as such, most of it was only punches, with a few kicks added. Seeing the precision attacks beginning to slow Barnes down, he pulled Barnes close with a web, landing a brutal 540-kick to the face. 

It sent Barnes down after a mid-air spin. The man groaned in pain and got up, but Peter hit him with his electric web, shocking and freezing him in his place. The metal arm certainly did not help in this situation, however advanced it may be. He jumped and landed on Barnes's shoulders, trapping his head between his thighs. He executed one of his favorite moves, the Hurricanrana, borrowed and incorporated into his style from his old wrestling days. He back flipped, viciously slamming Barnes front first onto the ground. 

He flipped to a distance to see if the man was down, but he probably wasn't. And right he was. 

In more pain than before, but clearly not done, Barnes slowly got up groaning. Peter said to him seriously, "I don't want to hurt you more than I already have, so stay down. Final warning." 

Heaving deep breaths, Barnes scowled and looked at Peter. "No can do, punk." 

Peter sighed as his lenses narrowed. "Don't say I didn't warn ya." 

It was Barnes this time who rushed at him, but Peter simply flipped over his head, covering the said face with webs. It managed to disorient the man long enough for Peter to execute one of his more brutal finishers. He rushed in close, using his left forearm and a little bit of his strength to propel the guy over his head behind him. He then back flipped, trapping Barnes's head between his head and shot two web lines to the ground, and _pulled_. 

Peter landed in a perfect crouch, but Barnes was ruthlessly slammed to the ground on his upper back, followed by his head. When Peter turned, he was already unconscious. He shook his head and walked over to the guy, easily picking him up with one arm and threw him up, rapidly firing webs towards him. When Barnes landed in his arms again, he was covered in a similar cocoon like Falcon, who had his jaw hanging. He then hung the man next to Falcon from the ceiling, with a strand of web. 

Once Peter had finished hanging Barnes, he turned to Falcon. "Sorry, I got a bit interrupted. You were saying?" 

"............What the hell, man?! You just beat an ex-HYDRA assassin and act like it was nothing?!" His tone held all the disbelief in the world. 

Peter shrugged, "I've faced people much tougher than this cupcake. By the way, are those wings carbon fibre?" 

It felt a little surreal to Sam that this guy referred one of the most dangerous people on the planet as a cupcake. Also, the abrupt change in the topic surprised him, but he fired back a question of his own. "Are these things coming out of you?" 

Peter lifted an eyebrow inside his mask at the mild horror that he could hear. Still.......

"I don't see why you need to know, bird-man." 

He ignored the 'Holy shit' and spoke into the comms. "Winter soldier and Falcon are down, people. How's it going with the others?" 

"Great job, Webhead!" 

That was Tony, though the last work turned into a grunt, as he was supposedly slammed into something. Peter frowned. "KAOS, what's happening?" 

**"Cap's team isn't pulling their punches, Peter."**

Her tone was of concern and urgency. He immediately made his way out of the glass he shattered when coming inside. What he saw was complete disorder. 

However impossible it seemed, Cap was effectively taking care of War machine and black panther simultaneously. But then again, War machine hadn't pulled out his big guns. Changing view, he saw Iron man engaged in a losing fight with Maximoff, who was throwing fucking _cars_ at him! 

Making it his priority, he raced towards both of them. He jumped high, shooting a trip mine at her back. The lady never saw it coming. Once it attached to her back, the laser activated the device. She gave a yelp as she was suddenly pulled back into a box of crates, web wrapped over her in thick layers. In a sense, it was similar to what he did back in the terminal. According to her file, she made extensive use of her hands to use her powers. Which meant no hands, no powers. And she had no super strength to break out of the web. 

"You looked like you could use a hand!" Peter called as he landed. Tony groaned and got up, "I almost had her!" 

"Suuuuure," Peter drawled, and looked and Maximoff, who was almost foaming at the mouth. "Who are you?!" 

Peter spread his arms in disbelief. "Have you been living under a rock all these years?!" He turned to Tony, "You heard what she said, right?! How come she doesn't know about me?!" 

"Alright, spidey," Tony sounded quite amused, "We'll work on your PR once we get back. For now, we still have Barton, Cap and the other guy to deal with." 

Peter nodded. "Yeah, and do you mind shutting down the quinjet? I heard that they would be gunning for it." 

Tony cursed himself for being stupid. "Shit, you're right. FRIDAY, lockdown all access to the quinjet." 

**"Done, boss."**

"Great, now we can concentrate on neutralizing them," Tony said as he turned towards the fight. Both of them ignored Wanda's angry ramblings. Now that her hands were tied, she couldn't use her powers.

Peter grabbed onto Tony as he flew. "You take care of the shrinking guy, I'll deal with Hawkeye and Cap. And hold that black panther dude from going after Barnes! I just finished tying him up!" 

"Copy that." 

Peter let go once he was close to where Widow and Hawkeye were fighting. He muttered to himself, "Why is the guy even here? Isn't he supposed to be retired?" 

Hawkeye didn't even see him coming. Once Hawkeye and Widow were apart by a few meters, Peter took his chance. He web zipped to the guy and knocked him out with a solid kick to the face. He was out, stone cold, but he would get one hell of a bruise later. Once he had taken his weapons away and appropriately webbed him to the ground, he looked at Natasha with a suspicious gaze. "Were you holding back?" 

Natasha hid her emotions carefully, but inside she couldn't believe it. She was familiar with Spiderman, seeing as the guy was operating in New York for over 7 years, which was more time than the Avengers. His reputation was even higher than the Avengers, though that could be attributed to how close his interactions were with the public. While the Avengers took care of bigger threats, Spiderman was more closer to the ground than they were. Sure there were other vigilantes in New York, but Spiderman was the undisputed protector of the city. The last 7 years had proved that, especially the incident last year. Natasha had seen him fighting, and had to admit that he was efficient. But that did not explain how a guy like him was able to beat Winter soldier and Falcon at the same time, take out Wanda like it was nothing and knock Clint out, by catching him off guard? Who the hell was this guy?! 

She would have to reevaluate her stance on Spiderman, for the guy was way more dangerous than she thought. 

"No I wasn't," she smoothly lied. Actually, taking down Clint without using force was a bit hard for her. He was her partner at SHIELD for years, and just as accomplished as her. 

Spiderman stared at her for one more moment (those white lenses were making her a bit uncomfortable) after which he spoke into the comms. "Hawkeye is down. I'm coming to you." 

"Good job, Spiderman. You sure work fast." 

The lenses opened wide. "Thank you, sir War machine sir!" 

There was a snort from the comms. "Just Rhodey is fine, Spidey. Now get over here- Cap still refuses to go down even though he's outnumbered, and Tony's told me that you will handle Cap personally." 

Peter instantly snapped to attention. "Yes Mr. Rhodey sir!" 

And then he promptly jumped out of Natasha's sight, who chuckled quietly seeing how much of a fanboy the guy was. She looked down at her old partner and winced at the bruise that was forming. She could hear the bitching from him already. She just sat down beside him, waiting for the confirmation from Tony for this to be over. 

Peter was racing towards the other end of the airport when the guy from before, Ant-man, Peter had dubbed him, suddenly grew into a _fucking_ giant, of all things. Peter's eyes widened as he tripped embarrassingly over his own feet in surprise. He could stop the words coming out of his mouth. "Fuck!" 

"You got that right," Tony said from the comms as he and Rhodey desperately avoided being swatted like flies. Even Rhodey's weapons were not having any effect on the guy. On the ground, black panther was engaging Cap and seemed to be losing. 

Peter quickly got up. "K, how tall is the guy standing?" 

**"65 feet, Peter."**

"Holy Shit," Peter quietly cursed as he raced over. Should this even be possible?! Nevertheless, he formed a plan to take him down. Guess being a pop culture fan _did_ come in handy sometimes. 

"Guys, I have a plan to take him down, but I need your help. One of you come to me, while one keep him busy," Peter said as he leaped over. 

Rhodey promptly turned around and left Tony to deal with Ant-man. "Traitor!" Tony called in mock rage as he dodged. For a guy this big, he was surprisingly quick! 

Rhodey reached and hovered in front of the web slinger. "What do you need me to do?" 

The fact that _freaking_ War machine was asking him what he needed to do almost threw Peter into a loop, but he caught himself. He pulled off a web bomb from his wrist compartment. Those things were tiny, but hey, appearances can be deceiving. Even the criminals were surprised how much webbing seemed to be there in those things. He tossed the web bomb to him, "I need you to throw this at his face. You then fall back and standby till I give the go." 

War ma- Rhodey caught the gadget and zoomed away. Peter remained close to the giant's legs and looked upward. Rhodey flew in close, "Hey, giant man!" 

He threw the web bomb at his face when he turned to face him. The bomb exploded and all the webbing covered the giant's face. The man yelled as he clawed his face, trying to get the sticky thing off. Peter didn't waste any time, though. He quickly shot large, broad at one of the feet and began running circles, wrapping the feet together. "You may be big, but you clearly haven't heard the saying!" He called out to the big guy. 

He motioned Rhodey and Tony to move in, which they did. The webbing was already wrapped several times around the giant's legs by now. "The bigger they are-" 

**"-the harder they fall!"** He, Tony and Rhodey finished together, with the latter two punching the giant in the face.

The man went down hard, nearly clipping one of the wings of a nearby airplane. Tony and Rhodey landed on Peter's sides, watching the guy carefully. But to their relief, he shrunk down to a regular sized man once again, and his helmet fell open. He groaned with eyes shut, "Does anyone have any orange slices?"

Tony pointed a repulsor at him, "Stand down." 

They guy raised his hands in surrender. "I'm done man. I surrender." 

Rhodey walked and clapped Peter on the shoulder, causing him to stumble. "Nice plan, Spiderman!" 

Peter rubbed his neck, "Aw, you're making me blush." 

Then Rhodey looked around. "Wait a sec- where's Cap?"

Peter looked up, his spider-sense activating. "Don't worry. I got it." 

XXXXXXX

Steve heard from his team as he fought with T'challa in the hanger where the quinjet was, as Spiderman took out almost everyone on his side. He'd been in touch with Sam and Bucky, the latter sounding a bit groggy, but they weren't able to come to his help. Apparently, Spiderman had wrapped them up in his webs, which they couldn't break. Steve couldn't go to their aid, because he'd been handling Rhodes and T'challa simultaneously. Clint was hashing it out with Natasha, while Tony was fighting Wanda. 

He watched, as one by one, Spiderman systematically took out each of his team members. He had to admit, the guy was really good. Good enough to take down an ex-HYDRA assassin while dealing with the Falcon. Doubt was creeping up to him whether he would be able to beat Spiderman or not. Why was this guy not an Avenger again? 

Suddenly, black panther stopped attacking him, retreating slowly from him. "It seems someone else wishes to deal with you, Captain," he said in his thick accent.

Steve watched him warily as he stood there, and then his stomach dropped. Spiderman swung into the hanger on his webs, landing gracefully on the ground. Steve always thought that what Spiderman was capable of doing, no one else was. The guy literally danced in the air. But then it occurred, like a train crashing into his mind.

They had lost. Badly. 

Spiderman stepped forward, and it occurred to Steve for the first time that the guy was almost as tall as him. He kept his voice calm as he nodded to the other hero. "Spiderman." 

Spiderman returned the nod. "Captain Rogers." 

Silence reigned between them for a few moments, which Spiderman decided to break. "Please stand down, Cap. You've lost, all your teammates have." 

He was pleading to him, Steve realized. Just like Tony. He shook his head, he won't give up. He tightened the grip on his shield, "I won't go down without a fight." 

Spiderman straightened up at that, and Steve readied himself for the attack that would come from him. But Spiderman did not attack. Instead, he asked, "Why are you so bent on fighting your way out? Why can't you resolve this matter by talking, like adults?" 

There was a hint of frustration in his voice. Steve hoped his voice was strong when he answered, "There's a lot that's going on here that you don't understand, son." 

The reply was harsh this time. Spiderman's lenses had narrowed into near slits. "Don't call me son! And I understand just fine! It's you who refuses to see the bigger picture here!" 

Steve honestly couldn't understand why Spiderman was taking this so seriously. All the times he had talked to him, he had always seemed like a guy who always had a wisecrack for any situation, be it serious or not. He readied his shield, "Don't make me hurt you, Spiderman." 

Spiderman crossed his arms. "How will you leave, though? Your buddy, along with your teammates, is tied up. Tony shut the quinjet down minutes ago." 

Steve's stomach dropped once again. Tony had locked everyone out of the quinjet? Spiderman's tone was soft once again. "Come on, Cap. We can still resolve this without resorting to our fists." 

But Steve wasn't listening anymore. His mind was trying to come up with a plan to access the quinjet again. If he wanted that, he would first have to get past Spiderman. So he made the first move.

Peter's spider-sense exploded as he saw the shield cutting through the air towards him in slow motion. He flipped just at the right time, the shield going from under him as he twisted in the air. However, he had seen enough videos of Captain America to know how that shield worked. Honestly, it was the most hated and frustrating thing for almost all the students studying advanced physics. 

Before it could rebound and go back at Cap, Peter snagged it with a web. Just as it turned and went back to Cap, Peter used the web to swing it in an arc, catching it with his hand perfectly. "Let's see how good you are without this, shall we?" 

With that, he launched the shield hard enough that it buried itself halfway into the wall on the right, high enough that Cap won't be able to reach it. He launched towards him, and they both engaged in a furious hand to hand combat. 

As Peter blocked and weaved through the attacks, he analyzed Cap's fighting style. He had a similar style to the Winter soldier, but he had more versatility. He was a little faster than Barnes, but then again, he didn't have a metal arm weighing him down. He also relied much more heavily on his arms than Barnes. But having fought Barnes, Peter knew just the amount of force he needed to bring Cap down. One counter-attack involved hitting a pressure point on his thigh, causing him pain for a short moment, which Peter took advantage of. He crouched, fired a web to Cap's chest, then jumped over him, firing a web to his back while above him, and _pulled_. 

That was one of his most brutal finishers. Cap's back slammed down on the ground hard enough for it to crack, as he made a complete arc in the air. Peter watched carefully; that attack should've put him down, considering the sheer amount of strength he had put into it. "I'll tell you the same thing I told your buddy Barnes before I knocked him out. Stay down, final warning." 

But to his great shock, Cap got up ever so slowly, using his fists to support himself, groaning in pain. He fully stood up, stumbling a little. He held up his fists, and with determination strong enough to move mountains, declared, "I could do this all day." 

Peter shook his head to clear himself of the shock. "Sorry, but I can't." 

Cap swung his fists as energy seemed to course into him from god knows where, but Peter was so done with him. Dodging and shooting a web into his face, it caused Cap to clutch it, trying to tear it off. Peter took his chance and kicked Cap's leg like it was a football, causing him to spin into the air. Peter, who had spun as well because of the momentum, took advantage of it, grabbing the back of Cap's head mid-air. He then used the momentum to slam it down on the ground, hard enough to knock him out this time, helmet or not. He stood up and looked at the unconscious form of America's legend. He muttered to KAOS in annoyance, "Why are old people so stubborn?" 

**"Maybe you'll find out when you get old?"**

"Shut up, K." 

XXXXXXX 

Steve groaned as he came back to the land of the living. He opened his eyes slowly, only to shut them back in pain. There was too much light. What the hell happened?

He made another attempt to open his eyes, this time succeeding. His head was pounding, but the feeling was slowly going away. He found himself suspended a few feet off the ground, covered in.......webs?

He immediately started struggling, trying to break through. But the webs were like he was stuck in a pool of dried super glue. He grit his teeth. He could not afford to give up. He had to save Bucky, his team, find the doctor- 

"You're not getting out of there." 

Steve ceased his struggles and looked up to see Spiderman hanging upside down, suspended from a web attached to the ceiling of the hanger. He resumed his struggles, causing Peter to sigh. The man was stubborn as hell. He lowered himself until he was face to face with Cap, though he kept a bit of distance between them. "Those webs can hold a falling building, I seriously doubt you can exert that amount of force, Cap." 

But the man seemed to have tuned him out entirely, not listening to a word that he said. He was still trying to break through them, and Peter realized that he might have to strong arm a little. 

"STOP!" 

The shout from him caused Steve to freeze in shock, looking up to see Spiderman's lenses narrowed. "Could you at least listen for once?!" 

Steve continued looking at Spiderman, panting in short breaths. Peter sighed and shook his head, "For someone who is considered one of the best strategists, you sure as hell don't know when to pick your battles." 

That shocked Steve to the core, and a little anger was reflected in his voice. "What do you mean?" 

"I meant what I said. Why didn't you support the accords?" 

That question sent a wave of frustration through Steve. Why couldn't they understand?! "The accords would only prevent us from being where we are needed at the right time, Spiderman. I thought you of all people would understand." 

Peter shook his head, "Of course, I have no idea what you're talking about. If you had cared to read the document, they you would have known that the Accords committee had a permission panel that would be in direct contact with the heroes. What you're saying only applies when you have to go out of the country, not in the states. If the Avengers have a mission, then all they have to do is contact the panel and ask. It only takes a minute at most for the response. It doesn't take weeks if that's what you're thinking." 

"I won't be taking the risk of the government controlling the Avengers. What if they tried to keep us from helping people if they need help?" 

Peter shook his head, "First of all, that's awfully arrogant of you, thinking that you are the only one in the world capable of responding to threats. There are superheroes _all_ over the world, Cap. Not just in US. Second, who the hell told you that the government would be controlling the Avengers?" 

That surprised Steve a little. "It won't?" 

Spiderman shrugged, and god it looked so weird upside down. "The Accords were put into effect by the UN, which doesn't have the power to control anyone. It deals with governments, not people. The Accords are to act as an oversight, not control, for heroes like us, to keep what happened in Lagos from happening again. It makes us answerable to someone. If you make a mistake and someone else pays the price, that someone would want to see who's responsible for their plight. They would want you to answer. They want to _see_ , that you _do_ give a damn about the people." 

Steve shook his head. "If the Avengers act under someone, under limitations, that could be disastrous." 

"Wrong!" Spiderman stopped him with a finger, surprising him with the amount of heat in his voice. "Limitations are what separates us heroes from our enemies! Our enemies are enemies because they crossed a line, because they were willing to do something that should not be done. If we don't listen to someone, don't accept limitations, tell me, how are we better than our enemies?" 

Steve had no answer to that, because Spiderman was right. Why didn't he think of this before? Why didn't he look at the accords from another angle? 

His determination against the Accords was slowly crumbling. "What if the Accords are wrong?" 

Spiderman sighed and spoke in a soft voice. "Cap, you do believe in majority, right?" 

When Steve nodded hesitantly, Peter continued. "Then maybe you should rethink your stance on whether you are right or wrong, if more than half of the world is supporting the Accords and therefore, standing against you?" 

Steve sighed. "I may not have read the entire document, but I do know that there are some things in there that are not fair to superhumans." 

"Which is why I haven't signed them." 

That revelation short-circuited Steve's brain a little. "Y-You haven't?" 

When Spiderman shook his head, Steve felt anger returning to him. "Then who are you to lecture me whether to sign the Accords or not?! Why are you even fighting me?!" 

Spiderman relied with surprising amount of patience. "You didn't let me finish. I have read those things too, and I agree with you that those should not be there. However," he hastily continued seeing the smile forming on Steve's face, "I have made my own set of corrections of what I want and given them to Tony. I told him that until those amendments aren't made, I won't sign the documents." 

Steve was baffled at that. Spiderman supported the Accords, but was against them as well? And why was this starting to make sense to him just now? 

"The people trust the Avengers to keep them safe. What if we are not capable of doing that under the accords?" 

Spiderman put a hand on his thigh. "The people's trust in heroes has been declining over the years, Cap. The Accords are a safeguard, a way for the people to trust you. They want the heroes to listen to them as much as they listen to the heroes. How do you expect people to trust you if you start fighting with your friends, instead of sorting out your problems in a more civilized way?" 

"If we weren't to be controlled, why were we arrested?" Steve challenged. 

"Because you interfered with a major police operation!" Spiderman fired back. "The Winter soldier was supposed to be captured and taken in for questioning, whether he truly was behind the bombing or not. If you are defending an ex-HYDRA assassin, they would suspect you as well, won't they? You were arrested because you assaulted police officers." 

"Bucky was innocent!" 

"And they would have found that out if he was questioned. But you had to stick in your foot, because it was your best friend. Isn't that right?" 

Seeing how he was right, judging by Cap's silence, Peter sighed. "The Accords aren't as bad as you are making them out to be." 

"If Tony wanted to do it the right way, why did he keep Wanda confined to the compound?" 

"If the people were screaming for my blood, I would confine myself to my house as well," Peter dryly replied. Jameson always is, but it was him against most of the city. Jameson never stood a chance. 

Cap had the good grace to look a bit sheepish, so Peter continued. "I have a feeling that whatever problems you have with the Accords, I might have already addressed them in my corrections. If I send them to you, will you promise to read the entire thing this time? Think with your brain, not your head?" 

Peter wanted to whoop in celebration at what Cap said next, because the he was close to get him to agree. "What would happen to Bucky?" 

Peter spread out his arms. "Mr. Stark already promised you he would get Barnes the best treatment there is for his triggers. He doesn't step back on his promises. Look Cap, both of us want to protect the people, so why don't we do it together, instead of being on the opposite sides?" 

Steve thought deeply about this. Maybe he doesn't have to oppose the Accords, because they are amendable, as Tony, and now Spiderman, said. Tony was right, that no matter what Steve seemed to think, the world was starting to get afraid of them. The Accords could put people's trust back in them, but he still wasn't completely sure. "I'll look at them," he said finally. 

But Spiderman wasn't impressed, if his narrowed eyes were any indication. "And make your corrections and sign them, don't try to trick me, it doesn't work. If Mr. Stark has made a promise of well being for your best friend, it's only fair you make a promise of the same magnitude in return. I know how much Barnes means to you." 

Steve stared at Spiderman's lenses, but realized soon enough that he would lose in this staring contest. He let out a defeated sigh, "Fine, yes, I'll look through them, make corrections and sign them." 

Peter stared at him, trying to see whether this was a trick or not. He used a trick DD taught him on how to detect lies. When there was no spike in the Captain's heartbeat, he concluded that Cap's promise was genuine. "Great!" he exclaimed, suddenly not so serious anymore. 

He took out a vial of web dissolver from one of his hidden pockets and spilled exactly 3 drops onto the cocoon. The drops started dissolving his web as soon as they came in contact and after 10 seconds, Cap dropped to the ground on his feet. Peter dropped as well, extending a hand to Cap which he looked at in question. "Do we have an, (snort and giggle) accord?" 

Steve rolled his eyes, but couldn't stop the small smile from appearing on his face. He grasped Spiderman's hand in a firm handshake, and was surprised to feel the strength behind the grip. "I think we do, Spiderman." 

Peter waved his hand, "Webhead works just fine, Cap." He dissolved the webs holding the shield and returned it to Cap, who put it on his back. He waved a thumb outside, "Shall we? Everyone's waiting."

XXXXXXX 

When Peter left to fight and convince Cap, he decided that they should better round up the other rogues. Tony went to Wanda, telling Rhodey to find Barnes and Wilson, and told Vision to find Barton. He found Wanda, no longer struggling, but looking more than a bit exhausted. Probably failed in trying to move her hands so she could break the webs. "If you promise not to attack, only then I'll free you," he told her, extremely wary. 

After an argument, in which Wanda refused to comply, Tony left her. He figured only Cap could make her listen. He found Rhodey, holding 2 web cocoons, that held Wilson and Barnes. He barely kept from laughing, because dammit this was a serious situation! 

Rhodey was struggling not to chuckle when he found Wilson and Barnes. Both of them were awake, with Barnes looking resigned and Wilson looking positively disgusted, keeping his face away from the webs as much as possible. He cut the line that was hanging them from the ceiling and carried them back, because he had no way to break the webbing without cutting any of their body parts. Thank god he was there though, because his royal highness looked to be barely holding himself back from tearing Barnes's throat. 

When he went back, he found Vision and Natasha with an unconscious Barton. Rhodes didn't even know why the hell was the man even here. Wasn't he retired? 

Tony arrived without Wanda, causing him a bit of confusion. "Where's Wanda?" 

Tony took a deep, suffering breath. "She'll only listen to Cap, it seems." 

Rhodes nodded in understanding. He looked over to the hanger. "Let's just hope that the webhead is able to convince Cap." 

They got their answer in twenty minutes, when Spiderman walked out with Cap, with the former looking a bit excited and the latter chuckling at something the former said. Tony almost sank into the ground in relief, for they were not fighting. Which meant Peter had managed to convince Steve. He looked over to Rhodey, who sighed as well. 

"Are we cool?" Tony asked as soon as they were standing in front of them. Steve looked at Spiderman, then back to Tony. "We're cool." 

Tony tentatively asked, "So you will sign the accords?" 

Steve slowly nodded, "I'll sign them, but only when they have what I want." 

"What he's trying to say is, he will be in the same position as me. He wants the changes before the signature," Peter interjected, and Tony understood at once. Well, it was a start, and you can't have everything. 

Sam on the other hand, looked baffled, "B-But Cap, I thought we were against the Accords?" 

Bucky was looking at Steve closely, trying to see what changed his decision. Peter on the other hand, just let his mouth run free. "Have you even read them?" 

That shut Wilson up pretty quickly. Bucky snorted and muttered under his breath, "Fanboy." 

Rhodey walked and held out a hand for a confused Peter to shake. "You did an excellent job today, Spiderman. Better than any of us managed to do, I'd say."

Peter beamed and scratched his neck. Before he could say anything, Tony spoke up. "And I'd agree with Rhodey. Seriously webs, you were on fire today. Exactly what we all needed. You took every single one of them down without getting them hurt." 

Peter was sure that if anyone praised him anymore, his head would burst on fire. But there was another matter that needed addressing. Something very important. 

"So, what's this about five other soldiers?" 


	5. Return and wait.........who's that?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thankfully, the dilemma in Leipzig was solved before it could get out of hand. 
> 
> However, when Peter made it back to New York, he was deeply confused. A new vigilante operating around his parts?
> 
> Also, his luck seemed to be getting better, in more ways than one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, the responses to the previous chapter were mind blowing! Seriously!
> 
> All the comments were really positive. You see, that is why I write stories- so I could feel the satisfaction and happiness that people appreciate my work.
> 
> Let's try for 20 comments this time, shall we?
> 
> Also, I apologize for the not-so-believable flashsback.

Peter came out of the bathroom, sighing as he rubbed his hair dry from the second towel in his hands. Hot water showers were his favorite, and in his opinion, best, part of the bathrooms, no matter what anyone said.

He had just returned to the hotel fifteen minutes ago, which was one hour after the situation at the airport had been peacefully resolved. Peter recalled that after the fight was over, he had brought up the topic of the five super soldiers. The faces of Cap, Tony and War machine had turned grim, as if remembering a particularly bad memory. Tony and Rhodes had decided to check it out themselves after getting the coordinates of the HYDRA base from Barnes, since he was the one who was more familiar with the place. Cap wanted to go as well, but Tony was able to convince him that it was best if he laid low for a while, for Ross was still after their asses. 

Vision had stayed behind, on Tony's orders, to take Cap's team to a safe location. Tony had then, jokingly, asked if Peter wanted to come along. Peter had replied, just as jokingly, that he had forgotten to pack his winter clothes. Tony and Rhodes had then flown away, in their suits, to check out the HYDRA base. Peter knew that they both were more than capable enough to handle five super soldiers. Seriously, the amount of ammo packed in just one Iron man suit would be enough to level a city block. One base didn't stand a chance. 

That aside, Peter had panicked for a moment on how he was going to return to the hotel without being seen. He had changed before they had arrived on the airport, and so had no change of clothes on him. Coupled with the fact that it would be easy for the world to deduce Spiderman's identity if they found him swinging in Leipzig instead of one of his friendly neighbourhoods. 

Yeah, no. 

But Peter's worries were put to rest when KAOS told him that Happy Hogan was still right where he was, waiting to pick Peter up, because unlike Tony, Peter couldn't fly. So Peter made his way to Happy, and drove back to the hotel. Thankfully, Happy had a spare jacket and a lower in the car which Peter wore on top of his suit. When they arrived at the hotel an hour later, Peter had made sure that all of his suit was covered, otherwise there would be problems. He had managed to get to his room without any trouble, though he _did_ get some weird looks from the people around when they saw him going into one of the more expensive hotel rooms. 

That was all Tony. 

And here he was, changed into some casual clothes. He was on leave for three days, today being the first of them, because they had arrived in Germany early in the morning, and the airport battle had taken place at noon today. So he had the rest of the day _and_ the next two days to get some sightseeing done. He would have to return with Tony to New York, for Tony had to remain to get some negotiations done if Peter had succeeded. So Peter planned to make the most of this vacation. 

"You ready, K?" 

**"You know I'm always ready, Pete."**

Peter smiled before grabbing his backpack and walking out of his room, locking it behind him. He knew Happy won't be driving him anywhere, but it wasn't like Peter had any shortage of money. Not anymore. 

XXXXXXX 

Peter nervously looked at Tony, who was sitting right across from him in the private jet, yet staring at something beyond him. There was a rage and sadness in his eyes that had been there ever since he returned from Siberia. The man looked torn from the inside, and his eyes spoke of a betrayal so deep that Peter wished he never went through anything like that in his life. He hadn't seen Tony in the last two days, and whatever the problem was, it was enough to make the man look like he hadn't had an ounce of sleep. Finally, Peter could take no more of the silence. "So, how did the negotiations go?"

The question broke the quiet in the plane, and startled Tony, who looked at Peter as if seeing for the first time. He then shook his head, his attempt at a casual voice only betrayed by the tightness of his knuckles around the seat's armrests. "They went smoother than we expected. I was able to convince the Accords council that Cap," his voice choked up a little, and Peter detected a hint of rage as well, "and his cohorts won't be thrown into the prison. Barnes," this time, the rage was much more clear, "would be sent to a psychiatric facility where he would have his triggers removed." 

Ah, so it had something to do with Cap and Barnes. Clearly those two were the cause of tony's turmoil. Tony was still in pain, and Happy was casting worried glances at him every now and then. Peter tried to lighten up the atmosphere. "Ross must not have been happy." 

Tony gave a small snort at that. "Yeah, he looked as if he was about to burst a vein. Our esteemed secretary of state," the sarcasm couldn't have been more prominent, "seemed to think that they needed to be immediately transferred to the raft." 

Peter winced at the mention of the place, the memory of his own encounter with the sinister six coming to the front of his mind. "Nasty place, that. But if they were willing to sign the accords, why would he want to do that?" 

Tony waved a hand. "Best not to think about that right now. Honestly, I don't care what the guy does, but I'll be making sure that he's off the accords panel once we get back to the states. I'll be surprised if the president doesn't force him to retire once he finds out what he tried to do with Bruce." 

Peter immediately latched onto that. "Bruce? As in, Bruce Banner?"

A distracted smirk appeared on Tony's face. He was still in his thoughts, but seemed interested in Peter's enthusiasm. "Right. You know of him?"

"Of course I know of him! His work in the field of gamma radiation is simply brilliant, not to mention his research papers on anti-collision electrons! He has _seven_ freaking Phds! He's probably the only guy on the planet to hold that many Phds! I've admired him since I was in middle school! He literally has turned the entire field of science into-"

"Whoa! Slow down webhead," Tony chuckled, holding up his hands. "I should be insulted that you fanboyed over my former science buddy instead of me, but I'll let that pass for now," he said, looking away from Peter, as if he was forgiving him from a grave crime.

Peter rolled his eyes. "Come on, man! I've admired you just as much as I admire Bruce Banner. It was the circumstances in which we met that I held myself from geeking out in your extremely awesome presence." 

Tony nodded almost approvingly, "That's much better." 

They both lapsed into silence for a while. Even though Peter looked as if he was thinking about something, he kept stealing glances at Tony to see how he was feeling. The rage had subsided, but the pain remained. Of course, bottling up pain like that doesn't do anyone good, but Peter had a sneaking suspicion that Tony was holding himself together because he didn't want to break down in front of Peter. It was then Peter saw who Tony Stark really was, perhaps for the very first time: a broken man, carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders and his past sins. 

Peter couldn't bear to see someone in pain if he could do something about it. He glanced at Happy, who was seated separately from them because Tony had told him that he wanted to talk science with Peter. Happy was asleep, snoring lightly. He looked back to Tony, who was gazing out of the window, the pain in his eyes naked for the whole world to see. "Hey," he called to him softly.

Tony faced him, masking the pain with curiosity. "What?" 

Peter internally debated on how to approach him. He said in the same soft voice, "You want to talk about it?" 

"Talk about what?" 

The reply was quickly delivered, as if Tony didn't want Peter to know what he was thinking about. But having operated at FEAST for about four years now, Peter had seen people in similar pain as Tony's. And in such case, there is only one thing that you can do. 

"You obviously are going through some inner turmoil about something that concerns Cap and Barnes." 

His fists tightened on their own accords. Memories of the video he had been shown by that bastard, Zemo, came to the front of his mind. _God_ , he had blamed his father for years for something that had never occured in the first place. His parents' car didn't crash because Howard was drunk, they were killed in cold blood by HYDRA. And if that wasn't enough, the icing on the cake was that Rogers knew. He _fucking knew_ for _years_ , and he never told Tony. The _hypocrite_ , had known ever since SHIELD fell, and when Tony had asked him, genuinely trembling in barely controlled rage, he had admitted that he was afraid that Tony would kill Barnes. 

Tony hadn't trusted himself to not blow Rogers up after that conversation, so he had left the building with Rhodes. He went back to his suite in the hotel and _cried_. 

Tony hadn't cried in _years_.

Only after he had sufficiently calmed down, he went to talk to Barnes. Tony was grateful to Barnes for being honest with him, but it was obvious that whatever Barnes did as the Winter soldier, it couldn't be held against him. HYDRA had put him in under their control. Hearing the truth from Barnes's mouth had been a blessing, but one couldn't just forgive a man after seeing him responsible for the deaths of people close to him. Tony was still trying to convince himself that Barnes did not willingly kill his parents, but it was proving harder than he thought. 

Tony managed to speak in a strangled voice. "How did you know?" 

Peter shrugged, and leaned back in his seat. "You put emphasis on 'Cap' and 'Barnes' when you spoke about them. Plus, you have that look in your eyes."

So Tony told him. Everything.

Peter was a great listener, not interrupting him at all. The tale flowed from his mouth like an overflowed dam. Tony lost the track of time, but when he was finished, he felt like a huge burden was off his shoulder. The headache that was with him for the last two days vanished like it wasn't even there. He sank into the comforts of his seat, suddenly exhausted. All the negative emotions and the energy that came with them, that he had been carrying for the last two days, was gone from his body. His head was as clear as it had been when.............well, it had been a _very long_ time. 

Peter smiled upon seeing the man in front of him. The change had been immediate, for Tony had relaxed instantly. "Feel better?" 

"I haven't felt this good in a long time," Tony truthfully revealed, sitting up and pouring some water for himself. He knew that it was tasteless, but water had never tasted so sweet before. Before he knew it, he had drank three full glasses, and he felt refreshed like never before. Even several cups of coffee couldn't accomplish this feeling. 

"Thanks for listening, kid. I know it must have been boring, but thanks," Tony gratefully told him. Peter nodded his head in acceptance. Now that his head was clear and energy was back in his body, he felt like they could accomplish some science. They were still two hours away from NYC.

"Hey kid." Peter looked up, seeing Tony's eyes twinkling. "Wanna do some science?" 

Now, how could Peter deny a chance to do some science with Tony Stark? But he tried to be cool about it. "Sure, what do you wanna do?"

Tony was immediately up on his feet, walking away from Peter. He walked straight past a snoring Happy and pressed a secret button. Peter had to rub his eyes to believe that what happened next was real. A whole lab opened up, with all sorts of tech that Peter could only imagine. 

"Holy shit," Peter breathed in wonder as his feet automatically carried him to the lab. Tony looked smug at the awe that Peter was displaying over his jet lab. "Is there _anything_ that you can't do?!"

Tony smirked and shrugged as his lab lit up. "I can't cook to save my life."

XXXXXXX

"You can come by the tower anytime, Pete!" 

Peter grinned as he shook Tony's hand and got out of the car. He released a sigh of relief and satisfaction as he watched the car drive away. He still had yet to come down from the high of working with Tony Stark in his labs. Peter was thrilled that the man had wanted to take a look at his web shooters, wanting to know just how Peter had made them and how they operated, now that Peter had organic webbing on his wrists. Peter and Tony used a bit of Stark tech to modify his shooters a bit, and not only that, but Tony had given him a new means to talk with his AI instead of his bluetooth.

Peter had been trying to find a way for KAOS to see the world like him and not rely on his audio input. Of course, Tony was one step ahead of him. The man, as it turned out, had managed to make his glasses into a portable container for his own AI, so he had constant access to her. Peter had been amazed at the invention and asked for tips on how he could make it. Tony had snorted and just tossed him a glass case. Inside had been a very normal looking glasses, nothing like what Tony wore, but Peter knew they were anything but that. **(The same glasses that Andrew Garfield wore in Amazing spider man)**

He had tried to protest, but found that Tony was somewhat of an expert in ignoring people's refusals to take his gifts. Relenting, Peter had accepted the glasses and with Tony's help, uploaded her into the glasses. After that, they both had just started talking science, starting with engineering, then shifting to chemistry, mechanics, quantum physics, computer science, etc. They were having so much fun in their discussion that they almost missed when to put on their seatbelts during the landing. 

After the plane had landed, they had gotten out and when they were driving back to Peter's lab, he had offered Peter a job. Not just any job, but the job of his personal assistant. Meaning he would be with Tony at all times, including in the lab. Tony said that he missed having someone around with whom he could science all day. Peter had gently turned him down, saying that he already had a job at Horizon labs. To the relief of his conscience, Tony had not been very upset, but had told him that he was welcome in his labs anytime he wished. Peter had accepted the offer and thanked him profusely for the glasses he was given by Tony. Of course, Tony had acted aloof, saying it was no biggie, but Peter had seen it in his eyes. The man was overjoyed at the appreciation Peter had shown towards him. It saddened Peter a bit, because that meant Tony hadn't received appreciation for his gifts in a long time. 

Peter had thought of hugging the man, but then pushed it aside. They weren't there just yet. He settled for a handshake instead, and had to physically restrain himself from whooping out. Sharing a handshake with _the _Tony Stark was something that had been his dream when he was a little guy.__

____

__As he watched the car drive away, he looked down at the case that held his new glasses. Tony had assured him that they were very durable, but nonetheless, Peter was not clumsy. A trace of melancholy passed through him. Wearing the glasses made him feel like he was 15 again, without his powers. He put them on and grinned giddily as his standard HUD popped up in his display. "How does it feel, KAOS?"_ _

**"It's so much better now! With this, I won't have to rely on your crude description of what is happening around you!"**

She sounded so happy that Peter failed to suppress his smile. He had built KAOS to assist him in matters of Spiderman, and as such, she could see through the HUD in his mask. But she had no way to see _without_ the mask, and that annoyed Peter. With the glasses, she would literally become his second set of eyes. But wait a second............

"What do you mean 'crude descriptions'?!"

In the tone which she replied, Peter was positive that she was rolling her eyes, or would be, if she had any. **"Please, we both know that. I don't need to elaborate it."**

Peter grumbled to himself. "Fine. Release lockdown protocol, password 'Benjamin'." 

**"Password accepted. Releasing all lockdown protocols and sub-protocols."** The door unlocked and Peter entered his lab after three days. Nothing had changed, just as he expected. He was about to unpack when KAOS's voice spoke to him through the speakers. **"No offence, but I think you actually look better with the glasses."**

Peter looked into one of the cameras, a puzzled expression on his face. "I do?" 

Instead of replying, a holographic mirror appeared in front of him, and he rose an eyebrow in surprise. He didn't look bad, but he didn't expect to look this good with the glasses back on. Back in high school, before he got his powers, he looked like the king of dorks. After 7 years, Peter considered himself a pretty normal looking kind of guy. Now, dare he say it, he actually looked quite handsome with glasses. 

"Better get used to them once more," he muttered as he sat down in his chair. He picked up his bag and took out his suit, intent on working on some upgrades. Tony actually had quite a few ideas for upgrades, but they didn't have the required time. So he told him of his ideas, leaving Peter to work on them in his lab. As Peter was about to pick up his suit, he spotted something that momentarily shined, which was odd since the inside of his bag was quite dark. He reached inside and pulled out a sleek, transparent, rectangular device. Peter frowned, as if completely confused. "When did he put this in here?!"

**"There's something else that you should see, Peter."**

The serious tone of her voice caused Peter to pause in his theatrics for a while. **"It seems that there is a new hero in town. And, they seem to be operating in the same area as you."**

She brought all the news, and Peter could see that someone had managed to get a blurred shot of a person leaping from a building to the other. That was a incredible feat in itself, considering the gap between those two building was nearly 80 meters, as measured by KAOS. Peter frowned, "It's almost an unspoken rule of vigilantes that you never operate in an area where someone is already operating. I was lucky that Daredevil had been forgiving that night, but," he frowned in curiosity, "why would they risk running into Spiderman by operating in the same area as his?" 

Even KAOS didn't have an answer to his question. Peter tried to think from a different perspective. Why would he risk operating in DD's area? 

Unless............

"They are trying to find me," Peter realized. "By operating in my area, they are hoping to run into me." 

**"You think they want to talk to you about something?"**

Peter straightened up and released a breath. "Maybe we'll find that out tomorrow night." 

XXXXXXX

Peter was walking away from the diner after a hearty breakfast. He was going over the updates over his Horizon's project on his HUD, leaving the walking to his spider-sense. "The progress in my absence is actually not quite bad," he muttered. 

**"The neural chip has been successfully completed. I've checked and run diagnostics on whether it works the way we need it to. They have managed to bring down the reaction time to what it was priorly,"** KAOS said as she displayed various results. Peter studied them, not even paying attention to the crown that he was successfully weaving around. **"I believe it to be ready for a short, one week human trial."**

Peter hummed absently as his mind contemplated on taking the risk of doing a human trial. The last time it had failed, Doctor Octopus was born. He shook his head, pushing those thoughts away. That was because Doc had decided to weaponize his creation into four, mechanical arms. This time, there would be none of that. He would personally be monitoring the trial. 

He was so deep in his thoughts that he failed to take notice of the person who had fallen in step with him. "Hi Peter!" 

Snapping out of his thoughts, he turned to where the voice came from, and it took him a few seconds to place the face he was looking at with a name. He knew those eyebrow piercings, and the fact that a name popped up on his HUD after KAOS scanned her. "Gwen, is that you?" 

Gwen laughed as she ran her hand through her now, short hair. She had cut her hair in a neat undercut, with most of her hair finger combed to the right and the rest neatly swiped to the left. If it was possible, she looked even more beautiful than the first time he had seen her. "I know, I look different." 

The words ran out of his mouth before he could stop them. "You look _beautiful!_ " 

He immediately cursed himself, but Gwen accepted the compliment with a laugh and a light blush. "Thanks, Peter!"

Then she looked more closely at Peter. "Did you only recently acquire glasses?"

Thankfully, KAOS had deactivated the HUD, so it only looked like he was wearing normal glasses. He nodded, "Yes, actually. I am far-sighted, so it helps me focus on the closer objects."

Gwen looked at him for a few more seconds, then her lips stretched into a small smile. "You know, you look quite handsome with glasses on."

Peter was ecstatic that Gwen called him handsome. But still, just to play with her, he took off the glasses and said, "Really?"

Gwen laughed as she shook her head. "I didn't say that you were ugly without them. It's just that you seem to be one of the few people who look good both with and without glasses." 

Peter cheered on the inside, but on the outside he said, "Thank you for the compliment."

They both walked in silence for a while, with Peter stealing secret glances at Gwen. It wasn't just her haircut, but it was almost as if she had undergone a significant change. She seemed.......... _different_. 

Even though their first meeting was very brief, Peter was a very observant person, and was definitely sure that her legs weren't _that_ toned the first time. she was wearing a skirt that reached to the top of her knees, leaving the lower part of her legs visible to be checked out. Her thighs weren't visible, but anyone who had _those_ type of calf muscles definitely had killer thighs. She wore a grey, full sleeves top, with sleeves pulled back to the elbow. Peter noted, with a high amount of approval, that her chest was very full, a low D-cup, if he was right. His eyes drifted upwards, only to meet Gwen's smirking face. "See something you like?"

Now, Peter had confidence issues when it came to girls, but not that much. He figured a little flirting wouldn't hurt anyone. So he let a little of Spiderman's confidence bleed into him. Smirking back, he replied, "Yeah, many things."

Surprise flickered in her eyes, not expecting him to flirt back. It was clear that she thought he was one of those types who was a shy nerd. But she regained her composure quickly. "I'm flattered."

She then suddenly switched topics. "So Peter," she said, gaining his attention, "how did you land a position in Horizon at your age?" 

Peter smiled, "It's a funny story, actually........."

They talked away, asking each other about their favorite food, hobby, place in the city, science topics etc. By the time both of them arrived at the building, they were excitedly talking about Gwen's project on creating a serum to boost the strength of the human immune system. Gwen was pleasantly surprised how much knowledge Peter had on the subject of biology, considering he was working on a project of neurotechnology. She was further surprised to learn that he had a Phd in cellular biology. 

"Man, my project could progress so much faster if you were on my team," she lamented as they both entered the building.

Peter shrugged as they swiped their cards. "That's just how it is, Gwen. Maybe after I finish my project?"

Gwen smiled wistfully. "It couldn't be soon enough, Peter." 

They both chose to take the stairs, and as they walked up, Peter summoned the courage for what he was about to do. "Say Gwen," he said, aiming for a casual voice, "are you doing anything after four today?"

As soon as Peter asked her the question, Gwen knew what he was going to ask. She had high school experience after all, and she had expertise in turning down as well. She knew that boys were only after one thing, but after spending even just a short time talking to him, Peter seemed like he was genuinely interested in her, and not just physically. Sure, he discreetly checked her out, but she couldn't fault him for that, for it would be rather hypocritical of her to say that he was a coward for doing it secretly. Not only that, but she found him rather attractive and charming. His brown eyes gave him a small resemblance to Bambi, and the serene look that was almost always on his face was a point in his favor as well. When she found him walking on the sidewalk, he looked extremely cute. 

So yes, she was interested in him as well. But unfortunately, she would have to turn him down for today.

She tried to let him down as gently as she could. "I know what you're going to ask, Peter, but I'm afraid I'll have to decline." 

Now, Peter knew there were high chances that she would decline, so he was prepared for that as well. He shrugged with a smile, hiding his disappointment. "It's ok. Do I at least get points for trying?" 

Gwen smiled at his joke. "You didn't let me finish. I am rather busy today, so how about we do that date tomorrow? Is that alright with you?" 

Peter's disappointment immediately vanished, replaced with joy. He let his teeth show in the grin, "It's totally fine! See you later!" 

He turned to go his way, but out of the corner of his eye, spotted a random scientist coming Gwen's way, completely engrossed in his tablet. So much that he didn't see her in front of him and crashed, his tablet slipping from his hands. Peter saw that falling in slow motion, but could do nothing to prevent it as it would make people suspicious of his superhuman reflexes. But to his great shock, Gwen's hand plucked it mid-air before it could crash on the ground in a smooth, but extremely fast movement. 'No human has those type of reflexes,' he thought as he quickly schooled his features into those of joy and walked away. He would investigate that later.

Gwen handed the tab back to the scientist as he thanked her and walked away. She watched in open amusement as Peter almost skipped the rest of the way. Her thoughts then shifted to the reason why she had declined him for today. She had a vigilante to talk to, so he could explain what she should do with her new found abilities. She turned around, eyes wide to see if anyone had witnessed her feat right now. Seeing everyone engrossed in their work, she sighed in relief. She turned around to see Peter almost skipping away. Shaking her head in amusement, she walked away to her own lab, missing Peter's narrow eyed gaze. 

XXXXXXX

The day's work at Horizon was completed faster than Peter expected. He only needed to make the necessary hardware and software modifications to the prosthesis for it to function with the neural interface, and get some necessary permission papers to get the go ahead for human trials. He exited the building and right into an alley. A moment later, a red and blue figure jumped up from the valley, swinging with reckless abandon, but with the grace that no human could achieve. 

**"So, do you want me to hack into the public cameras to find the new vigilante?"**

Peter swung high into an arc, letting himself fall forward. At the last moment, he spun a web and swung up high, scaring some of the people in the cars. "I'm not doing anything. If they're desperate enough to meet, they'll find me." 

Two hours later, after a small car chase, two muggings and a robbery bust, Peter still had no luck. It seemed that now that he was back, they were almost nervous to meet him. So Peter was sitting on top of the FEAST shelter, where he usually sat if he stopped for an evening meal, eating a couple of sandwiches and hotdogs. He had to keep up with his metabolism, after all. "So KAOS, how's the decryption of the Stark phone coming?" 

His AI's voice was chirpy as she answered. "I'm 95% done removing everything that we won't need." 

By that, she meant the tracking software and the rudimentary AI that came with all the Stark phones. Tracking software was a problem, because Peter liked his privacy. But it was reasonable, considering that Tony Stark wanted keep track of all his tech. The rudimentary AI would get in the way of KAOS to fully interface with the phone, so that had to go as well. Just as Peter chucked the garbage into the bin behind him, KAOS announced a report of an attempted break in a few blocks away. 

Peter jumped off the rooftop and swung in the direction of the crime. When he got there, he saw four men, with cloth pieces wrapped around the lower parts of their faces, trying to break into a building from its backdoor. He dropped on top of one, immediately knocking him unconscious as the other three turned around and stared at him with horror filled in their eyes. "So, any special toppings that you would like to be served with your free for this evening, hot knuckle sandwich?" 

"It's Spiderman!" 

"Get him!"

Two of the remaining three came at him with crowbars swinging wildly. Peter simply jumped over their heads, webbing the crowbars to him. "I'll take that as a no, then." 

Faster than they could follow, he rushed in close and knocked both of them out with just one punch each. "Hope you liked this evening's special!" 

He turned his head to see the last one running away desperately. He sighed as he prepared to shoot a web. "You'd think they'd learn that I have webs." 

Just as he was about to shoot a web to yank him back, his spider-sense alerted him to a new arrival. He saw a figure drop down in front of the fleeing robber and knock him out with a clean kick to the chin. The robber went down in an instant. 

The lenses of his mask narrowed as he studied the new arrival. 'Perhaps this is the new vigilante that KAOS told me about.' 

It was obviously a female, given the body shape. He easily concluded she was an enhanced if she dropped down from two stories on her feet like it was nothing. He approached her, keeping his body language open and friendly. "Hi, I don't think we've been introduced before. I'm Spiderman." 

The figure didn't turn around, but instead bolted in a way that was very familiar to him: jumping high so that she reached the top of the roof she jumped from in a single leap. Peter sighed, but followed her. It wasn't exactly a chase, because he could see her hesitation when it came to leaping between the buildings. 

**"Maybe she is still trying to get used to her powers?"**

"That is a possibility," Peter replied as he parkour-ed over the rooftops as if he was jogging in the park. He could have simply used his webs to bind her and talk with her, but decided to give another try at peaceful methods before that. He sped up so he started closing in on her, but to his surprise, she sped up as well! He was now putting effort into catching her, and that was saying something. Her movements were not as smooth as his were, but they were precise. Finally, he had enough and sped up to take a running leap, easily catching up with her. Just as he was about to land on her, she dodged at the last moment, as if she knew how he was coming for her. The last second dodge, unnervingly enough, reminded him of how he used his spider-sense. 

The chase resumed, but this time, Peter had a plan in mind. Knowing that simply trying to ambush her wouldn't work, Peter launched one of his trip mines ahead of her, on a wall to her left. There was a chance that she could have avoided it, which was why he was ready to shoot a web to catch her mid-air. Sure enough, she dodged it by jumping into the air, but Peter immediately shot a web to her back, pulling her back down, right into the path of the laser. A web shot out and in one second, she was trapped under several layers of webs.

She struggled, but only briefly once she realized she was thoroughly trapped. Peter approached her, "I think we got off on the wrong foot before. I was gonna-"

He stopped suddenly, because his spider-sense _tingled_. By that, he meant that it was actually a warm feeling. It was almost like it was _resonating_ , and it only took him an instant to figure it out. His eyes widened in surprise. "You're like me," he whispered.

He stopped in front of her, and only then he realized that he _knew_ those azure eyes, along with that particular style of eyebrow piercing. His surprise must have shown through the widening of his lenses, for the eyes in front of him widened as well. KAOS told him what he was already seeing. 

**"Peter, according to the retinal scan I just did, those eyes belong to Gwen Stacy."**

Peter was shocked, not knowing what to do in this situation. Gwen Stacy had powers, and was running around in.......whatever that was, as a vigilante. Peter would have never seen it coming in a million years, he was that shocked. The seconds ticked by, with both of the parties just staring at each other, not knowing what to say, until Peter straightened up, his lenses back to normal. Putting his hands on his hips, he took a deep breath to calm his nerves. "Okay," he said in a whisper, "Okay. Let's try this again. I'm Spiderman, and you are?" 

The girl, (Gwen, he reminded himself), snapped out of her shock and just narrowed her eyes at him. Peter sighed as he fought the urge to pinch his nose. "I'm only doing this because my mom told me these are good manners. Even if you don't reciprocate, it doesn't matter because I already know who you are, Ms. Stacy." 

He was careful not to call her by her first name, but her eyes widened in shock. She finally spoke in stutters, "H-How do you k-know my n-name?!"

Peter tapped his temple. "This mask is more than what it seems from the outside, Ms. Stacy." 

He then folded his arms. "So, can I ask _why_ you are jumping around as a vigilante?" 

"Isn't that what you are as well?" 

"I would be, if I hadn't signed the accords," Peter lied. No need to tell her that he was about to sign them. Also, it would be better if they were amended so she could sign them as well, now that she was an enhanced individual. "Given that you joined the business when I was in Germany, I take it that you haven't had your powers for very long?"

Gwen nodded in reply. "I got them just three days ago. I was-" 

"Completely freaked out, not knowing what to do with them?" Peter finished knowingly. 

"What sort of powers do you have anyway? I can see that you have enhanced reflexes, endurance, strength- if those jumps was anything to go by, agility," Peter listed off his observations, curious to know. 

He saw that Gwen actually looked a bit uncomfortable, which was completely normal. Even he would be wary if Iron man suddenly dropped in front of him one day and asked, more like interrogated, him about what his powers were. Gwen said in a hesitant voice, "Can we talk somewhere that is a bit more private?"

"Sure! I can do with private," he agreed, taking out his web dissolver. At her questioning gaze, he said, "A solution to dissolve the webs faster." 

To Gwen's amazement, the webs started dissolving rapidly and in a few seconds, it looked as if they were never even there. "Did you make this yourself?" 

"What, the webs or the dissolver?" 

"Both," Gwen clarified. Spiderman nodded, "Yes actually." 

He didn't elaborate, but Gwen expected that. Spiderman was notorious for being overprotective of his identity, so he would obviously take measures to give himself away in any way. She automatically took a step back when he stepped towards her. He stopped, raising his hands. "I know that you would have to trouble to follow me, given what you are capable of. But it's best if we travel by webs. It's just faster that way." 

That was a decent reasoning. She nodded, and felt her face flushing under her balaclava when he slipped his arm around her waist from behind, pulling her closer. "Hold tight," he said cheerfully, and that was the only warning that she got before he took a great leap, sending them into the air. Gwen immediately wrapped her arms around his neck, the embarrassment of being in each other's personal spaces going away instantly. She felt her stomach doing flips when they would rise in a swing, then suddenly drop down. She managed to control her shrieks every time they dropped close to the roads. The rush of adrenaline was incredible, the feeling unlike anything she had ever done in her life. 

Spiderman was swinging with only one arm, using the other to hold her in place. She was pulled flush against his side, and it was then that she noticed just how _built_ he was. Even though she could feel that different parts of his suit were made of different materials, his muscles would retain the shape they were in. And they were _hard_. 

Under her hand, his deltoid muscle felt as if it were made of steel. She could not press it even one bit as she used the grip to steady herself, in addition to using her new, adhesion powers. She was used to web swinging by now, but she gave a yelp when Spiderman turned particularly hard. Her left hand dropped low against his stomach to catch herself, and then she felt it. She was thankful that she had wore something that hid most of her face, because she had a bit of drool escaping from her mouth, along with an expression of complete wonder and awe. His abs were extraordinarily defined, in a way that was impossible for normal humans, but to feel them was a completely different thing. She was pretty sure a non-enhanced would break his hand if he were to punch Spiderman in the gut, and he wouldn't even feel a thing. 

So lost she was in feeling his muscles, that she didn't notice how his eye lenses were moving. 

Peter did not consider himself a pervert, but his hormones were acting up because he had practically glued Gwen to his side using one arm. He was aware of the curves of her body, and he could definitely tell that her body was enhanced. The muscles of a normal female weren't this hard. He would know, for he had MJ as a girlfriend once. This was almost like a sequence from a dream he never had, swinging around NYC with Gwen Stacy hanging onto him. He was almost giddy with joy, that he wanted to whoop. This was just like a date. Hell it was even better!

His breath hitched when he felt her hand dropping to his stomach. At first he thought she wanted to steady herself, due to a rough turn he had taken, but the hand did not move. Instead, it stayed there, lightly pressed into him. 'She's feeling my abs up!' he realized. 

After the spider-bite, he had developed some serious muscle definition, which was why he wore clothes such that no one would suspect Peter Parker of all people had a body that would make a bodybuilder, or more accurately, a gymnast green with envy. Finally, they finally arrived at the rooftop he was looking for. Peter released her, and watched as she seemed to snap out of a trance that she was in, looking around wildly. "Relax, this place is more than private." 

Gwen was so busy feeling up Spiderman's abs that their abrupt landing jolted her out of her trance. She blushed heavily, and jerked her head from side to side, seeing that they were in what looked like..........well, they were surrounded by four pillars, and _very_ high up. "Where are we?" 

Spiderman walked up to her. "The highest clock tower in Manhattan. This place is best suited for the privacy we need. So, how about you start from the beginning?"

**_Flashback_**

_Gwen ran a hand through her head as she contemplated on the day's progress. Overall, they were making progress, but it was slow. Horizon labs was very well respected, and its resources were excellent, but it's staff was significantly less when compared to giants like Oscorp or Stark. Still, she was confident that they would be able to complete the serum in under seven months._

_Just as she was heading back to her apartment, she spotted one of her old friend from the Devil's breath project, Pamela. They both had coffee together, mostly chatting about Gwen's new job at Horizon. Pamela asked her, "Hey, did you know that all the data related to Devil's breath has been wiped from Oscorp servers?"_

_Gwen did know about it. She was the one who did it, after all. As revenge against Norman Osborn for setting the Devil's breath on New York. But it was for the best if that remained a secret. She smoothly deflected the topic, "No actually. And please, let's just talk about something else? That project has become a nightmare for me."_

_They talked about trivial things for over twenty minutes before saying their goodbyes. Neither of them noticed the spider crawling on Pamela's purse, jumping onto Gwen's and making its way up. Just as Gwen reached her apartment building, she felt a sharp pain at the back of her neck. Hand immediately going there, she roughly brushed it against whatever insect had bitten her there. It fell to her left, and a closer look revealed that it was a tiny spider, which now lay dead on the ground._

_Gwen put a hand to her neck. At worst, she's going to have an itch over there, but nothing serious._

_An hour later, Gwen felt that she was going to die. The world was shaking from left to right, even when she was just lying in her bed. She had broken into a sweat that was so violent her t-shirt was all wet, her stomach felt nauseous and made her want to curl up, her muscles felt like they were made of jello, and she was pretty sure that she was running a high fever, along side a lethal cold. She had never been so ill in her life, having received all of her vaccinations, so that meant that it had to be the venom from the spider-bite. Just what kind of spider was it?!_

_Her eyes rolled into the top of her head, and the final jolt of pain was too overwhelming for her handle. With a final, low moan, she passed out._

_When she woke up, it was almost as if nothing had been wrong with her in the first place. In fact, she was sure that she had never felt so much better before. The sheets below her were wet, so she concluded that she sweated out the venom. She got up and stretched out tentatively. For a moment, she felt some tightness around her calves and back, but it quickly disappeared, and her movement was back to normal. She took several deep breaths, checked her pulse. Everything was fine._

_She looked out, seeing that the sun seemed to be rising. With some amount of surprise, she realized that she had slept through the entire evening. Slowly, she took off her clothes and grabbed a towel to take a shower before heading to Horizon. It was when she was grabbing her towel that she noticed, and let out a yelp of surprise._

_She was standing in front of her full-length mirror, gaping at her own self. She had always been fit, but never this fit. It was almost like her head was sitting on top of someone else's torso. Her chest, which had always been a mid B, much to her dismay, was now almost a low D-cup. She hesitantly grabbed both of them with her hands, just to see if she was dreaming or not. When her hands cupped them, she let out a gasp of shock. They were tight, not saggy at all. Almost inhumanly so. She released them, eyes bugging out when she saw her stomach._

_She had always been slim, with a small amount of fat on her belly. Now, there was a light, but defined outline of a six-pack. It was like she had burned up all her fat and then some. Nothing what like men had, but it was still very defined. She poked her stomach with a finger, letting out another gasp as she did. It was rock hard, and she turned to the side, seeing in the mirror. She was completely flat, with not even the slightest amount of fat visible on her._

_Her legs were now on par with those of a fitness model, with quite a muscle definition on her thighs. Her ass had gotten a bit fuller, so she grabbed it like she had done with her chest. It was unusually hard, as if she had been working out for ages._

_Overall, she had a body that all the women in the world would kill for._

_But that was not the only new development. She had, quite literally, _crushed_ her doorknob of her toilet, without putting any effort. Panic increasing, she tried to throw it into the dustbin, only to see that it was stuck to her hand like dried glue. She had to rip it off with her other hand. Now she had completely freaked out, she ended up slipping from a patch of water on the floor. She instinctively reached out for some solid support. Hand hand fist slapped onto the wall, and then got _stuck_. _

_She tried removing it by force, accidentally knocking out the tile from its place._

_Freezing with sudden realization, she spoke out loud. "Oh my god," each syllable came out very slowly, as if she still had trouble believing what she was about to say, "I have super powers."_

**_Flashback end_**

Peter listened to the story with the attention that a child would give to its parent. It was, in many ways, same as his own, if you include the next morning freak out, the thought that he was going to die, all the symptoms of dying, accidentally crushing your door knobs etc. But the spider bit him on the back of his hand, and not the neck. Also, Gwen seemed to have freaked out a bit more than he did. When she was finished, he was silent, thinking of what to say.

"So, when did you arrive at the conclusion that you had powers similar to mine?" 

Gwen shrugged, the balaclava in her hand for now. "It wasn't hard, if that's what you're asking. My hands sticking to everything was the main thing though." 

Peter nodded as he thought of the ramifications. "Now that you have them, what are you going to do?" 

Gwen's expression shifted to that of frustration. "I don't know! I never asked for these powers!" 

Peter could relate to that all too easily. "Neither did I, but I made a choice to become what I am today." He shrugged, turning to face the dark sky. "You could choose to be a hero like me," he turned to her, "or you could just carry on with your life." 

Gwen was silent for a while. It was one of the toughest decisions she had ever faced. "How did you decide to be a hero?" 

Peter winced as an old wound threatened to open up. "I......lost someone very close to me. I had acquired my powers very recently at that time, so I did the first thing anyone would do." 

Gwen's look softened, but curiosity mixed in. "What did you do?" 

Peter sat down beside her, a wistful smile under his mask. "I tried to make money of them. Long story short, I made the greatest mistake of my life, and someone close to me ended up paying for it. The fact that I could have prevented the mistake from ever happening was like a stab in the gut, only a thousand times more painful. I couldn't forget it, no matter how much I wanted to." 

Gwen rubbed Spiderman's arm in sympathy. "I'm sorry, if I brought up bad memories." 

Spiderman shook his head. "It's all in the past now, so I don't think much about it." 

"Is that why you became Spiderman?" 

Peter's head lifted up. "Yes. He always said, that with great power, comes great responsibility." 

"Wise words," Gwen muttered, looking into the sky as if it would give her answers. 

Peter smiled under the mask. "He was one of the two wisest, and the greatest people I ever knew." 

They lapsed into thoughtful silence. Gwen slowly came to realize that being a hero wasn't all that fun and glorious. Judging from the way Spiderman spoke, heros were not immune to losses. "What did you mean before, when you said that I was like you?" 

Spiderman looked at her, waving a hand. "I'm sure you felt a warm tingle at the back of your head when I was standing right in front of you?" 

Gwen nodded in affirmative. It was quite a pleasurable, warm feeling, sort of made her feel that she was protected. He continued, "That was a result of the resonance of our spider-senses, something like a sixth sense for spiders. Sort of like your sight without your eyes." 

Gwen looked down at her hands, which now contained power that she never thought would get in her wildest dreams. Spiderman stood up beside her, hands folded across his chest. "A lot going through your head, I'm sure." 

"Uh-huh."

Peter fiddled with his fingers, as if trying to figure out a way to get his thoughts across properly. In the end, he just crouched in front of her, looking directly into her eyes. "It'll be fine," he assured her, "You don't have to decide now if you want to be like me or not. But if you stick around, I can," he shrugged, "show you the ropes." 

Gwen found a bit of hope, and to her surprise, disappointment rising in her. "You will?" 

"I can, if you want that is. I recommend that you at least get a grip on how your powers work, so no one accidentally gets hurt," Peter said. 

Gwen pursed her lips, thinking about this. She could worry about being a hero or not later, but she didn't want anyone to get hurt because she lost control. Just swinging her arm around carelessly could now take someone's head off. She smiled at Spiderman, "When do we start?" 

Peter internally jumped for joy. Through training, he could help Gwen grasp control, _and_ spend more time with her, even if she did not know who he was under the mask. He might tell her eventually, though. She was his student now. "How about tomorrow, after you're finished with your day job?" 

Gwen was about to agree, when she remembered that she had promised a date to Peter. "Would it be possible if we could do it at, you know, six? I promised someone that I would go on a date with him." 

Peter smiled under the mask at her thoughtfulness. The fact that she wasn't willing to just forget her promise to Peter Parker just so she could take lessons with Spiderman was heartwarming. "So who's the lucky guy?" 

Gwen smirked and folded her arms, and Peter was glad that he had reflective lenses, so even though it looked like he was staring at her, his eyes drifted downwards for a moment or two. "You know him quite well. You used to model for him." 

Surprised at her memory, Peter made a show of thinking, and then snapped his fingers. "Peter Parker?" 

When Gwen nodded, he couldn't help but compliment her. "He's a lucky person if you are going out with him, Ms. Stacy." 

Gwen chuckled, in turn causing him to chuckle, but for different reason. Just as he was about to tell her something else, KAOS flashed a police report about a hostage situation on his HUD. He was somewhat surprised that their conversation lasted this long without interruptions. He stood up, "Well, it was nice talking to you, Ms. Stacy, but duty calls." 

Gwen watched in amazement, as Spiderman simply fell off the edge. She ran over to the edge in alarm, only to see him swinging away among the buildings. 'I wonder if he'll teach me that." 

She then turned around, ready to go home, when it struck her. "He left me here!" 

XXXXXXX 

Peter had just finished handing over the band of crooks wrapped like a present to the boys in blue, when KAOS spoke up. **"Peter, I have a location for you."**

Peter frowned in confusion. "Is it a crime alert?" 

**"No, it something that you asked me to do long ago. Pretty much just after you activated me."**

Peter searched his memory curiously to see if he had done such a thing, but he drew a blank. "I don't think I did, KAOS." 

Now she sounded a bit irritated. **"Yes you did, Peter. It was in regards to Richard Parker."**

In a flash, the memory was at the forefront of his mind. He remembered exactly what he had asked her to do. He knew that his parents died in a plane crash, but nothing more than that, and he had wanted to know if his father had worked anywhere in New York, so he could get a lead. "Where is it, K?" 


	6. Old discoveries and new enemies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter finds a connection to his parents, and discovers something much more amazing and worth treasuring.
> 
> On the other hand, a man's rage boils as he remembers why he lost his power. And it's all because of Spiderman. He will make him pay, even if it's the last thing he ever does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry for the delay in posting this chapter.
> 
> As you might have guessed from my most recent comment, I'm writing for two stories at the same time, so the delay is rather unavoidable. Please excuse me.
> 
> On the other hand, I'll say it once again, even if I wrote it in my comment. Anyone who is interested in reading Hiraishin Naruto fanfiction, is welcome to give it a read and a review.
> 
> Some old, amazing spider man memories in the chapter.
> 
> Also, ignore the political BS. It's all made up.

He sat in his office, a fierce frown on his face as he gazed at the screen of his computer. This was not what he wanted to be after he gave up- sorry, _forced_ to give up his position of power in the city. Being Mayor had given him a sort of experience that left him wanting for more. Which is why, Norman Osborn campaigned to become Mayor again. He liked being the one in charge.

It had its benefits as well, one that Norman soon found himself addicted to. It gave him much leeway to conduct his more shady activities without much attention being drawn to him. And covering his tracks became much more easier. Another benefit of becoming the mayor was that his company thrived. Having a mayor as the CEO of Oscorp meant its products were now more favored by the public, and just a few months into his term, and Oscorp reached a height to _really, actually_ rival Stark Industries. 

But perhaps the best part was that he gained a leverage over a certain crime lord, who held the moniker of the Kingpin of crime in New York. Wilson Fisk was a ruthless businessman, with his cunning and charm to rival even Norman Osborn. But before Norman became the mayor, Fisk held the advantage. After becoming Mayor, though, Norman took full advantage of his political position to put Fisk in a position that suited to his needs.

All was going well.........until Spiderman. Oh, how he hated that guy! He loathed the fact that he could not get rid of the wall-crawler, even when he was the highest political authority in the city. The entire city of New York, save for a few people who religiously followed Jameson, loved Spiderman. The hero had been serving New York for seven years now, so it was understandable that he had amassed quite a large fan following. 

However, the Devil's breath happened, and Norman was forced to resign from this position when it came out in the open that the biological hazard was Oscorp's creation. Oscorp was only further dragged down when they tried to profit from the cure, not to mention hiring Sable international. That was one big clusterfuck. Norman was livid that Octavius had tried to kill him like that in the name of petty revenge. He had hoped that Spiderman would kill Octavius, but at the same time, he knew the hero didn't operate like that. It was because of Spiderman that the city managed to recover from the Devil's breath. It loathed him to give Spiderman credit, but he had no choice. It was one of his last, and desperate maneuvers to ensure that he would be re-elected, but he knew it would be a slim chance. 

A year after the incident, he was broke. Or was about to. Doesn't matter what it was, because Oscorp was not at all in a good position right now. There were whispers among the board of directors that they were planning to vote him out. A sudden surge of rage gripped him, and he roared, sliding his hands violently across his table, sending everything to the floor. "As if I'd allow them to!" 

He turned away from his desk, facing the skyline of Manhattan. Rage burned in his eyes, mixed with a slight bit of insanity. He tried to rule the city by by being nice, it didn't work out. Now was the time to show them the power of fear. 

But first, Spiderman will have to go. And he knew just the way to do it. 

XXXXXXX 

Peter swung like the devil himself was following him. There very few times in his life that he had been so excited, or desperate like this. Twenty two years of hearing his parents dying in a plane crash and nothing else to go on had driven him crazy long ago. He had simply given up on trying to find anything. However, after creating KAOS, he had decided to give one last shot at finding something. He was swinging so fast and recklessly, so low as to gather more momentum and speed and launch himself into some of the longest arcs of his swinging career, that pedestrians were shrieking as he whizzed past them, dangerously close. 

The only person who was calm besides him was his ever faithful companion. **"Are you _trying_ to cause panic among the masses?!" **Ok, maybe not that calm. 

Peter rolled his eyes beneath the mask as he ran alongside the side of a building to get a jump for his next web. "I didn't know that getting excited was a crime these days, KAOS!" 

The female voice snapped back at him in irritation. **"You know what I mean, Peter!"**

But her advice was in vain, as Peter already had the address in his sight. He landed on top of a building and observed the place. A skeptical eyebrow rose up, "KAOS, are you sure you have the right address? Normally, a train station wouldn't be a scientists first choice of secret lab, or any lab for that matter." 

**"This is the only address I found, Pete. And you should be grateful, for this address was the only piece of information I found in Oscorp's servers. You won't believe how deep it was buried inside."**

"Regardless, let's check it out." Peter stepped back a few paces until he was at the other end of the rooftop. Breaking into a run, he leaped. He easily crossed the hundred meter gap and threw a web line at an abandoned crane, swinging in a loop until he slowed down. Without wasting any time, he jumped down, stealthily walking along the path that KAOS had highlighted for him. He easily lifted up a large shutter in his way with one hand, grimacing at the state the inside of the station was in when his night-vision was turned on. "You know, this takes me back to the days when we were busting the sewer bases of the maggia." 

**"A train station and a sewer base are two entirely different things. But I see where you are coming from."**

He jumped onto the platform, the sound of his footsteps echoing in the station. As far as he was seeing, there was nothing worth noting. Not yet, at least. "K, give me an IR scan of the room, real quick." 

His lens switched to infra-red. **"There seems to be a hidden panel on the right wall, shoulder height."** His gaze turned, seeing what KAOS was telling him. He grasped the handle, easily tearing out the cover and revealing the keypad beneath it. "A pincode? Really?" 

It took him less than a minute to crack the password. Once he had input the pin, the light switched from red to green, signalling that the pin had been accepted. He then waited.........waited.......waited...... 

Frustration built up inside him and he punched the wall, knocking a few bricks loose. The one clue he finds to his parents and that too seems an invalid one. Just as he was about to leave, the strangest thing happened. The subway tracks behind him folded and gave way to an old subway car, that rose up from some hidden space below the tracks. Even if it was extremely clunky and made a lot of noise, Peter couldn't help but whisper, "Cool." 

His heartbeat sped up as he slowly walked up to the subway car. The door was jammed, so Peter simply tore it open and threw it aside. It was unlikely that anyone would hear, seeing as this place seemed to be abandoned for a pretty long time. Lights flickered on, surprising Peter considering that this place seemed to have been shut down for a long time. He looked at the equipment that was arranged in the subway car. There were objects required for biological research, such as the various chemicals in a drawer. He wasn't that surprised, since he knew this much that his father was a biologist. What surprised him was the equipment that one would require when they had to conduct experiments of the quantum nature, not to mention the various complex physics equations on a whiteboard.. "K, was there any record of my father being a quantum physicist?" 

**"No Peter, I didn't find anything like that."**

Peter roamed his eyes around, trying to find something that would tell him more about his parents. Scientific research did not concern him. **"Peter, that light panel is hollow,"** KAOS piped up, highlighting the light panel in his HUD. 

Curious, Peter reached with his hand and simply yanked the panel out. He doubted the mechanics that opened the panel were working after so many years. "KAOS, since when has this station been abandoned?" 

**"It was built as a private railway that traveled to and from the nearby Grand Central station. President Roosevelt reportedly used this track for transport to hide the fact that he had polio while campaigning for his fourth term. According to this, the station has been abandoned for roughly 74 years, but there is no record whether any other president used this track."**

"Geez, forget old. This place is ancient," Peter muttered as stared at the contents of the panel. There was one notebook, a transparent plastic bag containing a piece of cloth neatly folded, that confused Peter. Why the hell would his dad hide a piece of cloth?

He searched the subway car for any more place where there might be something hidden, but he had no luck. Sad, but accepting that he won't ever be getting any personal insight into his parents' lives, he prepared to get out of the place. Making a sling bag with his webs, he put the notebook and the plastic bag inside. He exited the car and went over to keypad, ignoring the closing of doors behind him and sinking of the car back into the tracks. There was nothing of use in that car except for his father's research, which he had already taken. One punch destroyed the keypad, ensuring that no one would coming back. He knew he won't.

XXXXXXX

Peter swung right back to his lab and after changing into his normal clothes, sat on his chair with a notebook of his own on his desk. He wasn't sure if he would be able to completely understand the way his father made notes, so it was best to study them categorically and systematically. "Let's see just what old man Parker was working on," he muttered before starting to read. 

Three hours passed with Peter engrossed in studying his father's notes with utmost concentration. This was one of the things that he loved to do most- learn about new things without anything or anyone to stop him. Peter was so engrossed in solving a complex quantum physics equation that he failed to keep track of his time. **"Peter, it's time for your patrol,"** KAOS softly reminded him. 

Peter was jolted from his concentration, blinking as if waking up from a daze. He sighed and put his pen down on his notebook, which was, by now, nearly imitating his father's notebook- filled with complex scientific jargon. Closing his notebook, he stood up and stretched like a cat, letting out a groan when he heard several popping sounds. "What time is it, K?" 

**"Eleven pm."**

Peter blinked dumbly for a moment. "Wow, time sure does speed up when you're enjoying yourself." 

After drinking some water, Peter changed into his suit and went out for patrol. Like usual, there wasn't much crime to be stopped other than the occasional mugging. It gave him a lot of time to think upon what he had studied so far. He sighed as he looked craned his neck up, looking down at the night traffic while laying like he was on his bed on the side of a building. Patrols these days were boring, and it almost made him wish that someone do _something_ , because he was craving for some action right now. Even web swinging had lost its charm years ago, because his body usually operated on autopilot when he had something to deeply think about, leaving him almost completely unaware of the thrilling sensations. 

"KAOS, where do you think I should take Gwen tomorrow on our date?" 

The AI sounded amused. **"You do know that you haven't programmed me to be an advisor on matters such as those, Peter?"**

Peter shrugged, "I'm just trying to make conversation." That was a partial lie; he really was in a turmoil on what to do on his date with Gwen tomorrow. 

**"Wouldn't it be better for you to ask someone who has experience in these sort of matters?"**

Peter was about to reply that he didn't know anyone like that, when something popped up in his mind like a flash of light. The feeling of alarm associated with the memory was enough to jolt him to sit up. "Crap! I completely forgot about that!"

**"Forgot about what?"**

Peter shook his head in alarm. "I don't know why I didn't notice when I was walking with her to the labs, but there was this...... _tingle_ , in my spider-sense, when I caught Gwen on the rooftops. A warm feeling on the back of my neck. I'm sure Gwen felt it too, there's no way she could have missed it!" 

**"How can you be so sure that Gwen felt it as well, Pete?"**

If anyone would have looked up, they would have thought that Spiderman had finally gone insane, because he was sitting sideways on a building, waving his hands at nothing. "I am a person who has spider based powers, with an internal warning system/radar of sorts! Gwen is a now a person with spider based powers, with an internal warning/radar of sorts as well! Don't you think that _that_ particular ability would make either of us pop up on each other's radar?" 

KAOS was silent for a while, no doubt trying to find an explanation whether his theory would work or not. **"Your theory seems sound, but that doesn't explain why Ms. Stacy failed to notice that when you were walking with her. Neither was she able to connect that on your second meeting with her on the rooftop. Do you really think she will be able to figure it out on your date?"**

Peter stood up on his legs. "Gwen may be inexperienced with her powers, but there's no way she won't notice. The only thing that I can do is make sure that she does it on our date, and not in the labs tomorrow."

With that, he jumped off the building, shooting a web line at the last possible moment. the swing carried him far, fast enough that pedestrians were only able to catch a blur. As Peter made his way back to his apartment, he tried to think of where should he take Gwen. More importantly, what they would no doubt have to talk about on it. 

XXXXXXX

Gwen was only halfheartedly doing her work in the Horizon labs. All she could think about were two things: her date with Peter and her meeting with Spiderman. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't seen Peter all day, not even at lunch. It gave rise to an uneasy feeling inside her. Had something happened to him? Was he alright?

She shook her head. She was worrying too much. Maybe he took a sick day off. If that were the case, she should confirm with him whether he was coming to their day or not. Unfortunately, she was not sure whether he was sick. For all she knew, he was absorbed in adding some finishing touches to the presentation of the prosthesis that he was scheduled to give at the Metro General Hospital this coming weekend. She sighed and looked at the clock, which showed her that it was fifteen minutes to the end of her working hours for the day. Deciding to leave a little early, for she was rather distracted, she packed up her things. 

Spiderman had been right about how she needed to learn how to control her powers, especially her super strength. Ever since she had discovered her powers, she had had to handle everything as if she were dealing with a delicate egg that would crack at the slightest pressure. She had to consciously keep her strength in check, and even the slightest slip on her part meant that something would crack. Not only that, and she was fortunate that it hadn't happened yet, but she had to be careful when swinging her arms around someone, otherwise she could take their heads off. Just as she was leaving the building, her phone buzzed loudly in her pocket, indicating a message. Curious, she took it out to inspect it. 

_Meet me at pier 35 in half an hour._ What was odd was that the message had been from Peter. What was even more odd was that she did not recall giving Peter her number, nor did she remember him asking for it. And the weirdest thing of all, the contact was saved in her phone by the name of Peter Parker. Several red flags rose up in her head, but the bad feeling that usually accompanied them was strangely absent. Signalling a taxi, she told the driver where she wanted to go. 

It took her almost 17 minutes to reach the pier, and since it was evening, it was fairly crowded. She walked along, trying to spot Peter, when she felt a warm sensation, almost like a tingle, in her neck. Her newly developed instincts told her that it was not an enemy, but someone not familiar as well. She had not felt this sensation around her friends and colleagues; it was almost like this sensation was telling her that someone, who was _similar_ to her, in relation to her abilities, was near, due to its intensity. She started looking side to side, trying to see anyone who was the cause of the tingle. 

"Quite an unusual sensation, isn't it?" 

The words froze her in her spot. Someone knew of what she was currently feeling, but before she could enter a state of panic, her brain registered the voice that spoke. Her jaw dropped in disbelief, because there was no way he knew about her. There was only one person who knew......

She slowly turned around, staggering back a step in disbelief upon seeing Peter Parker. His eyes reflected confusion and wariness, which were hidden behind aloofness. "Y-You're-"

Peter nodded sympathetically. He nodded backwards, "Come on, let's talk somewhere a bit more private." 


	7. Revelations and confrontations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter shares his history with Gwen, with some knowledge of Gwen's own history making its way to his mind. Training begins, and the new enemy makes his appearance.

Gwen fingered the tissue paper in her hands as she contemplated on the amount of information she had just learned. After Peter had revealed himself, he had gently lead her to a secluded spot where they could talk without the risk of someone eavesdropping on them, after buying her and himself two hot dogs each, of course. Once they were properly settled, Peter told her his story of how he gained his powers.

To be honest, to her it almost felt like that his story was a right one for the comic books. In fact, it looked as if it was really a comic book story, but she really had no ground to say that, considering that she had gained her own powers in a remarkably similar way. She was astounded when she pieced together the fact that Peter had been operating as Spiderman since he was in high school! Students of high school threw tantrums at the smallest of the problems, theirs were ants when compared to Peter's giants. Gwen really felt for Peter when he told her that his uncle had died to his own arrogance and petty ignorance. Her admiration for him only increased when he described her the hardships he went through after school- juggling his college studies, Spiderman duties, job, caring for his aunt......

Gwen would have buckled under the strain within a week, it spoke volumes of Peter's willpower to have become a hero in such conditions, and persevered through them. When Peter finished her story, Gwen was thoroughly convinced that only someone like Peter could be the person under the mask, and no one else. She smiled at Peter, who was sitting beside her on the railing, with no small amount of awe, "Wow........you really are an amazing person, Peter." 

Peter gave a small, thankful but cheeky smile at that. "One of the many words they use to describe me." 

Gwen chuckled, knowing full well what he was referring to. The people had no idea how true the words Amazing, Sensational, Spectacular held for the person beneath the mask. "So, about training my powers.........when do we start?" 

Peter faced her and gave her a smirk, as if sharing a private joke, "Well, you did tell Spiderman about starting your first session at six in the evening." 

Gwen looked at her watch and gave a mock gasp of horror. "Oh my god! Only fifteen minutes to go, and Spiderman didn't tell me where to come!" 

Peter's own eyes widened at that, and he gave a sheepish chuckle while rubbing his neck. Gwen thought that the gesture made him look unbearably cute. Suddenly, she was reminded of one more thing she wanted to ask him about. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion, "Speaking of which, I don't remember giving you my contact, nor did you ask for it. So how _did_ you get my number?" 

Instead of becoming shifty, like most people do when under suspicion, peter pursed his lips and looked at her, as if contemplating something. Finally, when he did speak, she was surprised a bit. "If I tell you, you have to promise not to tell anyone else until I give you my permission." 

If Gwen was surprised by this, she didn't show it. She wondered just what Peter had to hide if he was telling her to do something like this. "If you're going to tell me that you hacked the city records for my contacts, then it's not a big deal." _I've done something much, much worse than that._

Peter tsked, "Close, but no cigar." 

He took off his glasses and handed them out to her. Gwen gave him a questioning glance, but took the glasses anyway. Putting them on, she was about to ask him what he was trying to tell her when she heard a female, Irish voice, causing her to jump a bit. **"Unauthorised retinal scan. Identify yourself and state your purpose."**

"Command function override, code Alpha. And stop screwing with her, K. You know who it is."

Gwen's jaw dropped in amazement when the voice responded in a way that almost sounded..........cheeky. **"Code accepted. Sorry Peter, I was just messing with her. Hi Ms. Stacy, I am Kick Ass Operating System. You may call me KAOS. It's nice to officially meet you."**

To Gwen's growing awe and stupefaction, a Heads up display flared into her view. "You have an AI?!" 

Thankfully, there were only a few people left in the area, and she had managed to lower her voice until it was a whisper shout. Peter shrugged modestly, "I made her a year ago, actually." 

Gwen shook her head in disbelief. She had never doubted that Peter was intelligent, in fact she fully believed that Peter was way smarter than almost all the scientists at Horizon. But to create a working artificial intelligence, something remarkably similar to Tony Stark's JARVIS, that was a feat that easily put Peter on the level of the likes of Tony Stark, and that guy was one of the smartest people in the entire world. She took off the glasses and handed them back to Peter, who put them back on. "I actually had KAOS get me your contact." 

Gwen nodded while smiling, "I figured as much."

Peter pushed himself off the railing. "So how about we start your training now? That strength isn't controlling itself." 

XXXXXXX

It had been three days since Peter started training Gwen to control her powers, and he could honestly say that he fully enjoyed being a teacher. In fact, he would dare say that he enjoyed their training sessions more than Gwen did. Maybe the fact that he acted like a gym trainer had a hand in that. He had chosen an abandoned gym for their training, after all.

Moving on, Peter had been surprised to discover that control did not come to Gwen as naturally as it did to him. He had started it on a basic level- throwing eggs at her. She had been perplexed at first as tot the point of the exercise, but soon learned it the hard way. Peter threw eggs at her, and her job was to catch them without crushing them in her hands. Suffice to say, she had a hard time doing that and both of her forearms were drenched in egg fluid in their first training session. 

Gwen had left the gym with a scowl on her face, disappointed that she could not achieve such a simple task, but Peter was quick to reassure her that she would get it in the next session. Of course, Gwen's confidence had dropped a bit after her failure in the first session, so Peter had to use a bit of a bribe. He offered to treat her to her favorite pizza if she manages to get it right in the next session. 

Peter had not believed that the method he had employed would completely work, for he did not think that Gwen was the type of girl to fall for such tactics. But then again, anyone would jump at the offer of a free pizza. Peter had watched with pride, aimed both at Gwen who managed to complete the exercise successfully at the end of the next session, and at himself for thinking up such a method. That evening had been the first time he had ordered four pizzas at once. He and Gwen had enjoyed their treat while treating each other to funny stories of themselves in high school. While Peter did not have many happy memories of that place, he did share stories about the times he spent Harry and MJ.

A flash of something had crossed Gwen's face when he told her about when he had teamed up with MJ to stop the crime network established by Martin Li, but Peter might have been imagining it.

The third session was considerably better than her first, because Peter had switched from helping Gwen not crush the objects in her hand immediately to controlling her arm strength. He had explained it to Gwen that if someone were to attack her right now, she would, by pure reflex, take that guy's arm or head off. In short, Peter wanted to help her control her reflexive strength first. He first made her aware of her own strength by making her punch a punching bag with all her strength. 

Gwen had completely freaked out when the punching bag had soared across the entirety of the gym before crashing into the wall, leaving some clearly visible cracks in the wall. It had taken the better part of fifteen minutes to calm her down, and once she had, he began training her on controlling her strength to the point where she could throw a normal punch, normal being the strength any lady would use when punching someone who groped them. Her progress was much faster in this area, now that she had an idea already, thanks to her first exercise. Slowly but surely, she was able to bring down her strength down not only to near normal levels, but her state of mind had changed from consciously controlling her strength to bringing it down so that it more or less became second nature to her. But that wasn't what made the third session most memorable. 

**_Flashback_**

_Peter watched with a satisfied smile as Gwen wiped the sweat off from her face with the towel she had in her duffle bag. He himself wore a tracksuit lower and a hoodie, on Gwen's insistence. She had jokingly told him that if he was going to act as a gym trainer, he should at least look the part. Of course, she had been entirely surprised when he showed up in their second session in a track pants and a hoodie, with a v-neck underneath. But that wasn't all._

_Peter wasn't aware of the looks that Gwen was giving him every once in a while when they trained. Peter's clothes were quite form fitting, outlining his impressive V-shaped back. The outline of his arms was crystal clear in the way his sleeves hugged them. Gwen was sure that if Peter were not wearing the hoodie, the delicious movement of his back muscles would have been visible for her to ogle. Not only that, but Peter seemed unable to tell that a girl was paying attention to him. Gwen had no shame in staring at his perfectly formed backside, no doubt the combined result of the spider-bite and jumping around the entire city for years. as he walked around the gym while she did her exercises. Her goal for this evening had been to tone down her strength so that the punching bag only swayed back and forth when a normal female punched it._

_And contrary what Peter seemed to think, she found the looks he not-so-discreetly sent to her quite flattering. It not only boosted her ego a bit, but it established the fact that both of them were romantically interested in each other, at least on the physical level._

_Back in high school, Gwen had had her fair share of admirers, but they were not so open about it as Peter was. It was a developed, feminine instinct that she was able to tell when a boy was staring at her And she took full advantage of the fact by occasionally teasing Peter. When she would take short breaks. she would do some stretches, under the pretense of testing out her newly acquired gymnast-like flexibility. Of course, in reality, she was just pushing out her newly acquired curves out._

_Soon the training session came to an end and it was time for both of them to leave._

_"You did amazing today," Peter said when they exited the gym. Gwen blushed at his words, but returned the compliment with a smile. "You are just a really good teacher is all. No," she held up a hand to stall the protests, "I really couldn't have done this without you."_

_Peter shrugged modestly, "Sooner or later, you would have figured it out on your own."_

_Gwen punched his arm lightly. "Thanks to you, it's sooner. You saved me a lot of broken items, Peter."_

_Peter grinned. "I'm glad I did. Next, we'll be working on your adhesive powers. I'm sure that something must have stuck to your hand in the past few days without your consent?"_

_Gwen sighed and her shoulders drooped, causing Peter to stifle a chuckle. "You have no idea."_

_"I do, in fact. I know it is not something that you enjoy, something sticking to you against your will. But we'll train after two days. My presentation at the hospital is coming up day after tomorrow, so I need some time to prepare. Also, I think you earned yourself a break, with how hard you've been working."_

_Gwen bowed to him in mock seriousness, "Thank you, sensei." Both of them laughed at that, causing a few people to look at them weirdly. Gwen straightened up, a small smile still on her face. "Seriously, Peter. I can't thank you enough for what you're doing for me."_

_Peter had nothing to say to that anymore so he just nodded. "See you later?"_

_Gwen nodded, "Yeah, see you later."_

_Then she did something which surprised Peter. She stepped closer to him, and before he could ask her what she was doing, her arms came to wrap themselves around his neck. Her entire body pressed itself against his own, and Peter felt all the curves which Gwen possessed. He nearly went into shock, but it was only due to KAOS's whispers that he was rescued. Tentatively, his own arms came up to wrap around Gwen's middle. Because Gwen had hugged him around the neck, her face was almost side by side to his own, and Peter closed his eyes as he smelled her shampoo, a particular Orange flavor. His eyes flew open when he felt something wet and soft touching his left cheek._

_Gwen normally wasn't this forward with any of the boys she went on dates with, but Peter was something different. She knew she was being cliched, but Peter truly seemed to want to know her, and wasn't interested in her just to fulfill his own physical fantasies. She felt her face growing warmer when she felt Peter's body so close to her, and she knew what this meant, and she was sure that Peter did too. She had given him a sign that she was interested in a relationship as well, but knowing Peter, he would need some time to ask her to be his girlfriend. Her lips stretched into a grin when she felt Peter's arms wrapping around her middle, but she could clearly feel he was nervous because he did not pull her closer. She figured that she might need to give some further proof and incentive that she was interested in him, so she did the only thing she could in her position._

_She closed her eyes, and pecked him on the cheek._

_Peter stood frozen after Gwen disengaged her arms and pulled back, giving him a small smile before turning and walking away. Peter never had enjoyed a woman walking away from him, but this had been the first time he did. He could've sworn that her hips were swaying a bit more than normal. What he didn't know that Gwen had been resisting the urge to look back just to see his face._

**_Flashback end_**

That moment officially became one of Peter's favorites. It became clear to him then that Gwen was interested in him, otherwise she wouldn't have kissed him. In his honest opinion, that peck on the cheek felt almost as euphoric as his and MJ's first kiss, and that was saying something.

He had given her a two day break so that he could concentrate on the presentation that he had to give on Sunday, which had been today. Peter normally didn't like going to work on his weekends, because that was normally the time he could fully concentrate on his own projects. Lately, due to preparing and making sure that the presentation would go flawless and Gwen's training, he has had less and less time to study his father's research. He had managed to complete the study of his father's notes, but had yet to study the material his father left him. Fortunately though, the hanging load of the presentation had passed.

Peter had to admit, he was confused as to why Max had chosen the Metro general hospital as the place for his presentation. The New York Presbyterian hospital had considerably better staff when it came to neurosciences and neurosurgery. Dr. Stephen Strange and Christine Palmer were two of the most prominent names KAOS had dug up, due to them coming up with a Laminectomy procedure. Then again, Stephen Strange was a pretty well known name. The man was a certified genius when it came to neuroscience procedures and research paper. Peter had read some of them, and had to admit the man knew what he was doing, and beyond.

Peter had studied neuroscience merely to satisfy his curiosities, and he could admit that while he did not have a degree in the subject, his theoretical knowledge was sound enough to compete with anyone who had a Master's degree in neuroscience. But even he had problems understanding some of the stuff that Strange published in his papers. 

But it soon became clear that he was not only giving a presentation to the neuroscience staff of that particular hospital, but to pretty much every neurosurgeon in the city. He had received some hostility because of his previous association with Dr. Octavius, and the fact that he was the youngest person in the room did not help. Still, he had managed to catch everyone's attention with his research, and he was glad that most of the people who had been showing hostile behavior to him had listened intently to his presentation of advanced prosthesis. The demonstration of the arms had gone off without a hitch, and thankfully, his knowledge in the subject and his research had been enough to satisfy any doubts the surgeons might have had. 

All in all, his presentation had been a success, and he had shaken many people's hands, who were congratulating him for coming up with cost-effective prosthesis. However, it was when he was about to leave that gave him a surprise. 

**_Flashback_**

_Peter had just finished packing up and telling his assistant to take away his bag while he brings the prosthesis with him, his spider-sense buzzed lightly, telling him that someone was standing behind him._

_"That was some demonstration, Dr. Parker."_

_The smooth, deep voice caused Peter to raise an eyebrow, and he turned to find himself facing Dr. Strange and his female associate. The man extended his hand, "Dr. Stephen Strange."_

_Peter smiled as he shook his hand, "I know who you are, Dr. Strange. I doubt there are many people in this particular scientific circle who don't."_

_Stephen smiled at the compliment. Peter turned to the lady beside him and extended his hand, "That would make you Dr. Christine Palmer."_

_A flicker of surprise flashed in the woman's eyes. "You know of me?"_

_Peter nodded as he took of his lab coat. "You are almost as famous as Dr. Strange here, Dr. Palmer. You had a hand in inventing a Laminectomy procedure, after all."_

_Christine laughed lightly at that. This boy was pretty likeable. "Call me Christine, and trust me, I wouldn't have had my name on that procedure if Stephen had any say in it."_

_Stephen just waved her comment away. "We both know that I designed the majority of the procedure." Turning to Peter, who was putting on his jacket, he said, "Although, I must say that I'm surprised that someone as young as you managed to create a prosthesis as sophisticated such as that on your own."_

_Peter heard the silent query in the man's statement and shook his head, "I'll admit that I did not create the entirety of it. In fact, I only created the neural interface on which the arms operate. It was only after Dr. Octavius was convicted that I was able to claim the research as my own."_

_Stephen gave a nod of realization, "And then you modified it on your own, I presume?"_

_Peter nodded. "Well, Dr. Parker, consider me impressed. And you should be lucky, because I don't tell that to many people."_

_Somehow, Peter got the feeling that while Stephen Strange was a well known person, he wasn't necessarily a likeable one. Christine shook her head, "Don't listen to him, Peter. I could tell that almost everyone was impressed with your demonstration. I particularly liked the part where you juggled so many tennis balls with only the arms. It really got the point across that the response time of the arms to the electrical impulses were on point with our own."_

_Peter tilted his head as his mouth began to move on his own, a regular occurence when someone initiated a science talk with him. "To be frank, there are many things that one has to look out for when creating a prosthesis such as this, not just the response time. Actuator precision for a super smooth response, minimal grip force, spatial mapping for body awareness, balance compensation for overall body equilibrium, power efficiency, inter-cranial interface, contact material for the prosthesis...."_

_He trailed off when he noticed a rather annoyed expression on Dr. Strange's face, and an amused one on Christine's. He shook his head, "Apologies, I tend to get carried away."_

_"It's ok, Peter. Though if you don't mind, we'll take our leave now," she said, extending a hand for him to shake._

_Stephen was annoyed how easily Christine was talking with the younger scientist. To be honest, he was used to being the smartest person in the room. But he was having this feeling that Parker was easily as smart as him, if not more. He shook the man's hand, "Yes, we'll take our leave. I will be frank with you Dr. Parker, I am interested in seeing how this prosthesis works if actually applied. I have a feeling that it won't be long before we'll be able to attach it to a human body. Good day."_

_Peter stared at the man's back as he and his not-girlfriend exited the room, talking about a surgery later in the day. Stephen Strange was as eccentric as his name._

**_Flashback end_**

Peter had informed Max of his presentation's success, and as a reward, he had gotten a two day holiday from the man, which he was grateful for. He had been meaning to order some new equipment, if he was to understand the depth of the research his father had left him. Right now, he was just roaming the streets with no particular destination in mind. His glasses were tucked inside his jacket, he was just passing time, thinking about various things.

He had no need to worry about his prosthesis. He had done everything he could on his end and finished his research. Gwen, on the other hand.........

Just the thought of her brought a smile onto his face. She was interested in him, that much was clear. If he could only find the courage to ask her to be his girlfriend. He sighed as another thought popped into his head. Mary Jane and him hadn't talked in a long time. They had broken things off before she had departed for Symkaria. Peter had asked KAOS to keep looking out for her, but that was the only thing he could do. It was almost as if she didn't want him back anymore. He wondered just what he had done wrong. 

Absently, he turned to the left, seeing a rally of people supposedly about spreading awareness for diseases. His feet carried him past the rally, seeing no point to waste his time on topic he already had in-depth knowledge about. Just as he was about to turn the corner, his spider-sense buzzed loudly.

He whipped around, trying to find the source, and his eyes saw a trail of smoke in the sky heading rapidly towards the area of the rally. A smaller object detached from the bigger one- whatever that was- and sped towards the rally. Peter was a moment too late in figuring out what it was. "LOOK OUT!" 

His loud voice, laced with panic was enough for the people to scatter like ants. The people of New York had learned over the years with the encounters with super-villains that when someone shouted a warning, you don't turn around to see what it is. You run. 

The smaller projectile crashed into the ground behind the speakers, and the explosion was powerful enough to throw some people into the air. Fortunately, no one had been directly caught into the explosion, but it was loud enough for people to go running in the opposite direction. Some were thrown of their feet, and would likely have a concussion. Peter sprinted and ducked into an alley to change into his suit. 

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The goblin laughed as he caused chaos on the streets. This feeling of being free was amazing! And look at those ants running around like that! The medicine that Norman had believed would enhance him had not only done that, but enhanced a part of his mind as well. Specifically, the primal part of his brain. The desires that Norman had kept repressed for years had manifested in the form of a personality, who coined himself the green goblin. Green, because his eyes shone like green hellfire when he was in control. The mythical goblin creature that caused chaos and terror among the masses. 

Norman had taken the formula so that he could fight Spiderman without needing to worry about the effects on his aging body. The fool had no idea that he would be taking a backseat when it came to that. Goblin would destroy Spiderman, only because he was a threat to Norman and he had wronged him. Goblin was sure that if they worked together, they could achieve much bigger things than just killing Spiderman.

"WHERE ARE YOU SPIDERMAN?! COME OUT, COME OUT AND PLAAAAAAAY!!" 

"I hope you have a license for that hoverboard!" 

The call came from behind him. Goblin grinned under his mask and turned around to see the famous wall-crawler perching on top of a flagpole, eye lenses narrowed. 

Peter didn't know what to make of this newcomer. It was obviously a guy, given the shape of the armor he was wearing. It was a curious armor, a purple and green, purely mechanical. It wasn't really scary in Peter's opinion, unless you counted the mask. It was hideous, but achieved its goal of inducing terror at first sight. The head was pointed back, and the ears of the helmet were pointed too, much like a goblin. The eyes of the helmet glowed an eerie yellow, and an insane grin was etched onto the face to complete the look. The guy also used a sort of sleek glider, and it was some really impressive technology. "You got a name pal?" 

"I prefer to go by............the Green Goblin. I would say it's a pleasure, but that betrays the purpose of my visit." 

Goblin's voice perfectly reflected the insanity within the man, and Peter was immediately on guard. The guy was obviously twisted. "And that would be?" 

"TO KILL YOU!" 

The shout was accompanied by a pumpkin making its way towards him. Though Peter had no doubt that it was anything but a pumpkin. He back flipped off the flagpole, and just in time too, because there was a spectacular explosion when the pumpkin hit the top. Peter spun a web, and using the momentum from the swing, launched himself at the Goblin. Goblin merely laughed and flew out of the way, Spiderman's feet passing through empty air. But Peter easily turned around and shot an impact web right at the Goblin, who was thrown off balance at the sudden webs wrapping around himself. Peter took the opportunity to launch himself at the Goblin, succeeding this time. 

The glider whirled dangerously in the air, but Peter had no problems keeping his balance as his feet were stuck to Goblin's armor. He started hammering the helmet with punches, letting loose a little. "Tell you what Gobby, you put this thing on the ground and put your hands up, I'll go easy on you." 

One of his punches cracked the yellow lenses, but Goblin only laughed, to Peter's surprise. "I'm sorely tempted to accept that offer, but I'm afraid I'll have to decline." 

The glider then suddenly flew backward, and Peter grunted when he was viciously smashed into the wall of a building. With his target temporarily dazed, Goblin retreated to a distance to cut the webs. The tip of his index finger glowed, and a green laser shot from it, easily cutting through the web. He laughed gleefully when the web was cut, and looked up to see his foe, or rather, where his foe had been. He looked around, searching for any signs where Spiderman might have gone. 

All of a sudden, he was thrown off his glider by an invisible force, gravity having taken a old of him. He pressed something on the screen of the gauntlet on his left arm, causing the glider to come straight towards him to catch him safely. But just as he was about to put his feet on it, someone bodily slammed into him, taking him out of the path of the glider. Goblin instantly knew that this was Spiderman, but before his arm could reach to the knife he had on him, Spiderman released him. With the speed at which he was swinging, it did not matter whether it was high enough or not. Goblin painfully crashed onto the ground, painfully tumbling a dozen feet before coming to a stop. 

Peter swung high, and webbed a line to the side of Goblin, and _pulled_. "INCOMING!" 

Goblin seemed to have enhanced reflexes, for he was able to dodge at the last moment by flinging himself to the side, the punch that would definitely have broken more than a few teeth. "You'll have to do better than that, Web-head!" 

Peter rolled perfectly on the ground to lessen the impact of his fall. He sprang up from his roll into a flip and in the middle of the maneuver, he shot an electric web at Goblin. The web, however, did not have the desired effect of freezing him into place. Goblin merely looked at the sparks dancing along his armor, before taking out _two_ of the pumpkin bombs he had thrown before, and threw them with perfect precision, one by one. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! LET'S SEE WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH _THAT!_ "

But Peter had had years of training his reflexes. He webbed up a manhole cover with two webs and jumped into the air. The web lines had made the manhole cover into a sort of yo-yo. The first bomb ricocheted of the cover and was thrown to the side on the empty pavement, exploding harmlessly. Letting go of the cover with one hand, he fired a line to the other bomb and pulled, flinging it right back towards the Goblin. 

The Goblin expertly dodged it, but was unprepared when Peter swung the manhole cover around, letting go of the web at such an angle that the cover collided with Goblin's gut, throwing him back very painfully. Peter landed on his feet and wasted no time in swinging after the Goblin. "Come on Gobby, surely you must know that _no one_ can surf the web better than _me!_ " 

Goblin got up to his feet and snarled, ignoring the pain in his gut. This fight was getting out of his hand, and he hated it. Spiderman was much craftier than he had thought. He was under prepared for this confrontation. The best thing to do would be to retreat, but his pride would not allow him to run away without one last retaliation. His hands went into his pouch behind and pulled out two more pumpkin bombs, but these were different. He threw both of them at Spiderman. "I'M NOT DONE YET SPIDERMAN!" 

Peter was ready to dodge the bombs, but they suddenly weren't. The pumpkins had split into something that looked like winged knives, and four of them came straight at him. Only his spider-sense allowed him to dodge all but one mid-air by a hair's breadth. The last one managed to nick his shoulder, a cut appearing at the place. He turned and webbed himself to a wall, and as he suspected, the four of the changed directions and came straight for him, again. With lightning fast reflexes, he webbed the two of them causing them to fall towards the ground. He jumped his spot just as Goblin tried to impale him with his glider. Webbing one of the flying knives, he pulled it towards himself and spun it, throwing it back and crashing it right into the last one.

Peter counted himself lucky as the small explosion happened right in Goblin's face. The smile was wiped from under his mask when he flew right through the explosion, a bomb in his right hand. Peter kipped up and started running in the opposite direction, desperately searching for something to distract the Goblin. Looking up ahead, he saw that they were heading back to the site where the first bomb had been thrown. 

An idea sprung into his head, and he switched tactics. He leaped up and started running sideways on the building, slowly going up in height. The edge of the building came closer, and Peter put his plan in action. Webbing a piece of debris from the ground, he pulled and swung it right towards Goblin, who had thrown the bomb a moment ago. The bomb exploded with the debris, the Goblin having been thrown off balance. Peter webbed the flagpole and pulled, sending him flying towards it. He swung around it, gathering alarming momentum and went right back towards Goblin. 

His foe was not fast enough to avoid him and Peter crashed feet first into Goblin's chest. This time, Peter had height _and_ speed, so the impact was exponentially more painful to Goblin, who was once again thrown to the ground. This time, he even made a small crater on his first crash, skidding right into a car. Peter, who had landed sideways on a building, watched him crash with apprehension. He was dealing with an enhanced individual, that much was clear. What he could not figure out was who the hell was smart enough to manufacture the tech such as that. He swung down to a few feet from the Goblin, but immediately jumped up when the glider came flying at the Goblin.

Goblin got up and jumped up on his glider, glaring hatefully at his newest arch-enemy. "This isn't over. WE'LL MEET AGAIN, SPIDERMAN! AND THE NEXT TIME, I'LL MAKE YOU PAY!!" 

Peter felt a sense of foreboding at the threat. Looking around, he searched for any casualties, but thankfully, no one was in the vicinity. He jumped up and swung away, straight to his lab after collecting his things. "KAOS, I want you to thoroughly analyze the scan of that armor, search for any clues as to the identity of the manufacturer. Scan the voice and attempt to descramble." 

**"Got it, Pete. Also, Ms. Stacy is on her way to your lab."**

Peter raised an eyebrow. "For what reason? If she's worried or anything, tell her not to. I'm fine." 

**"Can't, Peter. She's almost there."**

Peter frowned as he swung around a corner, going high. "Any reason you didn't tell me before? Ok, don't tell me that. Just open the door for her."

He arrived at his lab and slipped in through a window quietly, seeing Gwen pacing in front of his computer desk. His sense tingled warmly, just as it did in her proximity. She whipped her head around, a worried frown etched on her beautiful face. He walked towards her, taking off his mask and making his confusion visible. "What's up, Gwen?" 

Her reaction was not expected, however. "What's up? After almost being killed, that's all you have to say?!" 

He held up both hands, trying to calm her down. "Whoa, whoa! Calm down, I had that completely under control!!" 

She jabbed her finger towards the cut on his shoulder, which had stopped bleeding a while ago. "I don't see how you can call that under control."

A warm feeling rose inside his chest at how much she was worried for him. He turned around and went to his suit desk. "Injuries are a part of superhero life, Gwen. It's not possible to be in a fight and escape without injuries. The only thing you can do is ensure that your enemy is more injured than you are." 

Gwen sighed at that. She knew Peter was much more experienced at the superhero business, but it was only today she became really aware just how much danger Peter put himself in when fighting super villains. She walked towards him, who was viewing some data on some holographic screens. "What have you found, K?" 

KAOS's sounded a bit less worried than Gwen, but it caused him to let an exasperated sigh. **"Peter, you really should treat that cut before it gets infected."**

"I have super-healing, K."

He stepped away and pointed at the screens. "I want that information now, KAOS." 

Without waiting for a reply, he took off the upper part of the suit, oblivious to Gwen's look of shock. Going to where the medical supplies were, he grabbed some cotton and a disinfectant. Dabbing some of it, he swiftly swiped it on the cut, all the while ignorant of Gwen undressing him with her eyes.

Gwen knew it was wrong to stare, but she couldn't help herself. Peter's body was, in every sense of the word, perfect. He had the built of an olympic swimmer, but his muscle definition surpassed the best of them. His eight-pack stood out as a pack of biscuits, and she felt a bit warm in the face when her eyes drifted a bit downwards towards his crotch. The tight suit left little to imagination, but this was the first time she really payed attention to it. She shook her head and turned away to ensure Peter did not see her blush. 

Peter finished cleaning his wound and put on a loose t-shirt he kept on hand, easily ignoring the sting it caused when it brushed against the rapidly healing cut. He would give an hour before it was fully gone. He turned back to say something to Gwen, but she had her back to him. "Hey Gwen, you ok?" 

Gwen slowly turned around, an innocent expression on her face. "Y-Yeah, I'm ok. Say, how about I treat you to dinner?" 

That was _not_ what Peter was expecting from Gwen, but he wasn't going to let such an opportunity go. "Sure, that would be great." 

XXXXXXX 

Norman groaned as he put the ice pack on his stomach. The fight with Spiderman had been tough, even when he had taken the experimental super soldier formula that Oscorp had developed. The had been, from the start to the finish, completely in Spiderman's favor. The guy had a counter to each and every one of Goblin's attacks. Even knowing his ways of fighting, Goblin had lost. 

**_"There is always the next time, Norman."_**

Norman opened his eyes and looked at his own reflection in the mirror, with only one minute difference. His reflection had green eyes that reflected madness of an unknown scale. "I don't plan on getting a beating next time. I will be leading the next fight. You have proven yourself a piss poor fighter." 

Hsi reflection snarled, and Norman winced as a sharp pain went through his head. **_"Careful, Norman. I can push you back anytime I want. The only reason I'm being generous is because I have need of your intelligence. You are weak minded, Norman, and I have no patience for weakness. Once you have fulfilled your purpose......."_**

The Goblin left the sentence unfinished, but Norman already knew what the Goblin meant to say. He would have to plan his fight a little more carefully next time. For his plans to come true, Spiderman must die.


	8. Discoveries, signs and surprises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter finally understood the marvel that his father had managed to create.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While writing this chapter, I have suffered some scientific confusion due to lack of information, so I'm apologizing in advance.
> 
> Also, WARNING: scientific bullshit, so please roll with it.

Peter bit his bottom lip as the search once again came up empty. Ever since the Goblin had attacked, which had been four days ago, Peter had kept an eye out for his return. The appearance of a super villain after nearly a year of peace had set the public in panic, and for once in his life, Peter was glad the Jameson had left the daily bugle to start his thing. With Robbie leading the daily bugle, Spiderman wasn't slandered but was given credit for his efforts to stop the 'Green Goblin', as it had dubbed the new villain. Shaking his head, he focused on what he was doing.

His training sessions with Gwen had bore unexpected fruits. After her strength training had been complete, Peter had moved on to instruct her on her adhesive abilities, but had a pleasant surprise when he found out that she had figured them out on her own on the next day of the attack. 

**_Flashback_**

_Peter chuckled in wonder while gazing at Gwen, who was crouched sideways on the wall of his lab. Because wall-climbing was an ability that they could not afford to expose, they had chosen to hold the session in his lab._

_"So what do you say coach? Do I pass in this one?"_

_Her teasing voice broke him out of his thoughts, and he smiled widely. He removed his shoes and jumped at the wall, landing right above her. He crouched downwards so he was facing her, "Well, I'll say. But to what level I wonder."_

_A glint of confusion appeared in her eyes. "Level?"_

_Peter shrugged. "Do you think that you can manage a game of tag on the walls?"_

_Faster than she could react, Peter reached out to her shoulder. "Tag! You're it!"_

_And so it began. Peter ran up the walls and onto the ceiling, standing upside down. Gwen frowned in apprehension, "Peter, I don't think I can-"_

_"Then don't think about it, just do it! The more you think, the more you'll fear. Let your instincts take the lead, Gwen!"_

_Gwen looked down; all four of her limbs were attached to the wall. When she had tried climbing the walls in her apartment, she had succeeded, but she didn't try further beyond that for the fear of falling. Granted, her balance was impeccable now, and her reflexes were superhuman, but still, the innate fear of falling and injuring yourself hadn't gone away. Tentatively, she detached her hands from the wall and stood up slowly, just like a baby trying to walk on two feet. She took slow steps forward, climbing up the wall and towards Peter. She smiled giddily and said, "Peter! I'm doing it! I'm walking without my hands!"_

_Peter pursed his lips in thought. Gwen was doing good, excellent in fact. But there was potential to increase the speed of her progress. If she could just push aside her fear, she could be jumping around the lab like him. But to push aside a fear that has been with you since your childhood was not an easy task at all._

_'Perhaps she needs an incentive?' He thought._

_"Well done Gwen, but I think you can do better," he called out jumping from the ceiling to the wall to his left, sitting with his back on the wall. Gwen threw him an annoyed look, and changed her course, moving towards him.......slowly._

_Peter made a show of groaning and threw out his hand, a web shooting out and returning a second later with Gwen's phone. Gwen, who had stopped and looked up when she heard the sound of his web, watched in horror as he twirled his phone in his hands. "Put that back!"_

_Peter made an innocent face that didn't fool her for a second. "I wonder just what blackmail I can find in this? Perhaps some embarrassing pictures?"_

_Gwen began moving towards him, eyes flashing in panic. "Give that back!"_

_Peter hid his grin as he stood "up" and walking backwards. "I bet that I can crack the security on this phone in under half a minute!"_

_'If he finds **those** pictures, I'm not sure there's a hole deep enough that I can hide under!' Gwen thought as she broke into a run, her mind solely focusing on getting her phone back. "Give it to me!" _

_Peter didn't even look up from his job of appearing to crack the security as he broke into a run on the wall. Inwardly though, he was pleased to note that his plan was working. Gwen was unconsciously maneuvering on the wall without the fear of falling. Outwardly though, he muttered loud enough for her to hear, as bait of course, "Huh, didn't take half a minute. Guess I'm that good."_

_He was forced to jump from the wall to another wall as Gwen had jumped right at him. He easily evaded her attempts to grab him, keeping up the appearance of browsing through her phone. His plan to distract Gwen from her fear of falling had worked perfectly. She was running and jumping on the walls and ceiling, just like he would do in a fight in a closed environment. On purpose, he stopped upside down in the middle of the ceiling, just to test her reflexes in the middle of her jumping around. Just as she came within five feet, he released his hold on the ceiling, falling head first to the ground._

_He was surprised when he felt her catching his ankle, and looked up- or is it down- to see Gwen standing on her feet, a crazed look on her face and hand extended. "Give it back!"_

_"My pleasure," he said while tossing it to her._

_It felt rather comical to him when she released her hold on his foot to catch her phone, leaving him to fall to the ground. He flipped to perfectly land on his feet, Gwen landing a second later, an irritated look on her face. "You were bluffing."_

_"And you were jumping around, you're welcome," he easily returned, grinning at her perplexed look._

**_Flashback end_ **

Gwen hadn't liked his method of training, and that was heavily sugarcoating it, but couldn't deny that it had produced results. For the last four days, Peter had introduced her to the thrills of parkour. Jumping around the rooftops in style, flipping in ways that caused the heartbeat to jump up and adrenaline to go off the charts. She had been apprehensive life before, because jumping off buildings is no easy feat for the mind. Peter had been teaching her different parkour tricks that he had taught himself, because it jumping off a building and doing tricks like a gymnast, without a safety net or anything, brought excitement like nothing else. 

Peter shook his head off the thoughts and focused on the research that he was doing. Man, he was getting distracted a lot today.The new equipment he had ordered to replicate his father's research had arrived quite some time ago, and he was eager to test it out. He had finally understood just what his father was working on.

Turns out, his father had discovered an entirely new type of molecule, and had even managed to synthesize it. These molecules, which were unlike anything Peter had ever seen, were responsive to certain energized matter around them. They existed on the Angstrom edge between matter and energy and can interchange between either. Basically, his father had managed to create a molecular fabric that was able to adapt to a wide range of extreme matter and energy transformations without losing its original integrity. 

Mind completely blown, Peter had read about the piece of cloth his father had left behind. The man had tested the properties of the cloth and what he had discovered had left Peter wondering just how ahead his father was of his time. The cloth, had supposedly been made of "fireproof" unstable molecules, meaning that his father had bonded the molecules to a fireproof fabric, which were the anchor molecules. As such, the unstable molecules "copied" the fireproof properties of the fabric and as a whole, became resilient to fire. He had also drawn the conclusion that the anchor molecules need not have only one property; they can have more than one due to particle transference. 

Meaning, he could add fireproof _and_ waterproof properties- and so much more- to his suit by adding unstable molecules to it, creating an entirely new fabric with it. Peter conducted his own tests with the cloth, "Magic cloth" as he had begun to call it, and further discovered something. The cloth can never get dirty, and the best thing, it had self repair properties. No need to waste resources on repairs of his suit from now on!

Peter had taken a 3-day leave of absence from his work today, and spent roughly 8 hours in his lab creating an entirely new type of cloth for his new suit. It took him almost immeasurable number of attempts to get the ratios of the molecules right, despite his intense study of his father's notes and his own extensive research. Currently, he was looking at a holographic screen that showed a progress of the bonding of unstable molecules with the materials of his suit, in which he had also added fireproof properties. If he managed to succeed, he would have created one hell of a suit.

"KAOS, is it holding stable?"

**"The bonds are holding stable, Peter. I'll run diagnosis on this for the next three hours."**

Peter nodded and stood up, stretching the kinks out. "Make sure to run simulations to see whether this fabric can survive the field. I have to go now, Gwen's expecting me." 

XXXXXXX

"You ready for this?" Peter asked as he adjusted his hood. 

Gwen smirked as she took a rough running stance. "Bring it, Parker. There's no way you're gonna win today."

Peter had been regularly training her in parkour, slowly diminishing her fear of heights. At first, Peter simply instructed her to follow him and jump from rooftop to rooftop, the same way he did. If she failed to follow him the way he told her, she would have to do a hundred push-ups as punishment.

He started with simply tricks, like front and back flips. Gwen managed to mimic those with little difficulty, once she managed to keep in mind that her body had an automatic sense of balance, along with a sixth sense that aided in maneuvering. Coupled with that knowledge, she gradually began to imitate the more dangerous maneuvers that Peter performed. In the last four days, Gwen could probably drop the jaws of the most experienced free-runners with her moves, and Peter was proud of her as her teacher.

Of course, Peter also taught her safety maneuvers, including how to land safely if you fell from a height and don't have webs. If he didn't, he would be a foolish teacher. Peter just shook his head in mock disappointment. "Not even four days since you started this and already challenging your teacher? Tsk tsk." 

He got into a running stance. "You got a head start, so make it count! On the count of three.......one, two, THREE!!" 

Gwen dashed off, with Peter starting two seconds behind her, who already jumping off the rooftop they were on and onto another one. Peter had advised Gwen to not go at her full speed, as people would start to suspect that they were more than just free-runners. As they traversed the rooftops, each began to perform their own tricks in an attempt to outshine the other. The neighborhood they had chosen was seldom used for parkour because of the slopes, the chimneys and the wide gap between rooftops. But mostly old people resided over there so the most attention they got was the occasional shout of being irresponsible children. Still, better to be cautious.

"Doing tricks is good and all," Peter shouted while flawlessly executing a handspring to roll, "but the goal is to reach the finish line before me, Gwen!" 

Gwen implemented a perfect Air bomb and rolled, "Says you! You show off way more than I do!" 

Peter spin vaulted over a box. "And yet, I'm ahead of you! Pick up the pace or it's a hundred one-handed push-ups for you!" 

Gwen's indignant voice reached his ears. "You didn't say that before! That isn't part of the race!!" 

"Well, it is now!!" 

In just two minutes, they were nearing the finish line, with Peter having taken the lead. Gwen grit her teeth in frustration at her position; no matter how fast she went, Peter always managed to cover the ground between them and pull ahead of her. The ease at which he made it look like spoke volumes of his expertise that he had gained in over 7 years. The finish line was fast approaching, and Gwen had to pull ahead, because Peter took his punishments very seriously. Even for an enhanced like her, one handed push-ups were torture. 

Deciding to take a risk, she increased her pace suddenly, full out sprinting across the rooftop. She grinned when she easily caught up to him and pulled ahead. The finish line was just one jump away, and she jumped off the ledge, inwardly cheering at her first victory.

"GWEN! NO!!" 

The warning reached her a second too late, and her own mind realized the blunder that she had committed in her hurry to win. The speed at which had jumped off the ledge would carry her right over the rooftop she was intending to land on. Her mind calculated her trajectory in an instant and with growing horror, she realized that she would land right in the middle of the neighborhood park, which was filled with people. They would no doubt realize that she was a superhuman and-

Her train of thought was halted when something slammed into her right side, abruptly changing her path to land on one of the rooftops. She instantly realized it was Peter, her arms wrapping around his neck for support. Peter landed on the roof, sliding forward a bit on his feet from his momentum. He released the breath he was holding and looked at Gwen, who was still looking at him with wide eyes. With a sigh, he gently reprimanded her, "That's why I told you not to go at full speed." 

Stammering, Gwen asked the first thing that came to her mind. "B-But, how d-did you-"

Peter smirked as he set her on her feet. "Catch you from your side? You don't know the half of what I'm capable of, Gwen."

Once Gwen had properly got back her bearings, they walked back to Peter's lab. Occasionally, Gwen would accompany Peter to his lab either to just talk to him about the day's training session, or just do some science with him and KAOS. When they reached the lab, Gwen immediately took notice of the new equipment and the cloth that was under observation. She pointed a finger at those, "Hey, what's that?"

For a moment, Peter panicked, because this project was supposed to be a secret from everyone, even Gwen. Then he recovered and just waved his hand dismissively, "Oh, it's just a physics project I'm doing. I'm trying to see whether I can give a fabric more than one protective property." 

That was technically correct, and not a lie- just a half truth. 

Gwen nodded and followed Peter to his chemistry station where he was preparing a new batch of his concrete webbing. "Say, how many types of webbing do you use?" 

Peter quirked an eyebrow at the sudden question, but answered anyway. "Well, first there's my organic webbing," "Your webbing comes out of your body?!"

Gwen's mouth was open in shock, and there was a smite of disgust as well. Peter quickly sought to correct that, "Okay, first of all, don't make it sound like that. Second, it's damn useful since it doesn't run out like the webbing of my web shooter, and thirdly, it's stronger." 

Gwen crinkled her nose. "It still sounds gross, but I'll take your word for it."

Peter shrugged, "Whatever floats your boat. Anyway, there's organic webbing, my artificial webbing as back up, electric webs and concrete webs, which I use to hold down falling structures."

"How do you even get the ideas for those?"

Her question made him smirk, and he just tapped his temple with his index finger. Gwen huffed and punched his shoulder, making him laugh. They talked a bit more, before it was time for Gwen to go. 

To be honest, Gwen found herself reluctant to leave his company. Peter had only become more closer and endearing to her in the time that they spent together. After the kiss that she had given him last week, she had been hoping that he would ask her out. But then Green Goblin happened, and Peter threw himself into his Spiderman duties, seemingly forgetting about the kiss. Sure, they still had their training sessions, but he seemed to distracted most of the time. Gwen had a hunch that he was trying to think of who Goblin could be, or who he could be working for, or who manufactured the tech Goblin used. She couldn't blame him, but it still hurt a little. 

Which was why, she was going to take initiative.

Peter walked with Gwen to the door of the lab. As Gwen turned around, Peter rubbed the back of his neck, getting a bit awkward. "Gwen, we uh, won't have our training from tomorrow. Not anymore." 

Gwen frowned in shock and confusion. "Why? Has something come up?" 

Peter shook his head. "Not really, but since you have been improving by leaps and bounds," he grinned at the unintentional pun, making Gwen groan in exasperation, but then he became serious, "but really, I won't train you anymore because I don't have anything left to teach you, unless you want to swing around the city in a skin tight spider suit." 

'Now is my chance to ask him,' she thought. "Hey Peter?" 

"Yeah?" 

Gwen had been thinking about this ever since Peter came back from his fight with Green Goblin. She fiddled with the strings in her hoodie. "I've been thinking for a while now, and......"

Peter had an uneasy feeling in his stomach when he heard Gwen's tone. Still, he let her speak. Might as well hear it out, he thought. "..........do you think that I can become a hero like you?" 

That threw him for a loop. Gwen wanted to become like him? An indescribable feeling spread through him at that. Sure over the years, he had heard many children, and even a few adults, proclaim that they wanted to be like Spiderman, swinging around the city and beat up bad guys. Peter had just laughed and explained on more than one occasion that being a hero is not just about beating up bad guys, and that they need not have powers to become a hero. But this was Gwen, a friend who had gained powers similar to his through a freak accident. Sure, he had offered to show the ropes to her, teach her to control her powers, but that was it. 

Never had his aim been to inspire her to take up the webs. The sole reason Peter wore a mask was to protect his close people, and to show just how much danger he put himself in when he put on the mask. He took a deep breath and put his hands on her shoulders, giving her a look of utmost seriousness. "Gwen, why do you want to be a hero?" 

Gwen had never seen Peter look so serious before, and had somewhat figured that Peter would have such a reaction. Mustering up her courage, she replied, "I want to be a hero because you inspire me. Your drive to help and do good no matter how hard it gets is something that I want to see in myself. I have seen you over the years, and I have tried to be like you, even without superpowers. I have tried to help people as much as I can as Gwen Stacy. On our date at the pier, you told me that with great power comes great responsibility. Now that I have these powers," she lifted her arms to gesture to herself, "don't you think that I can help not just as Gwen Stacy, but as something more?" 

Peter could feel his resolve to dissuade Gwen breaking at her reasoning, and it was one of the rarer times that Uncle Ben's words had worked against him. "You do know that I have to put my life on the line everyday, don't you?" 

By now, Gwen's eyes were brimming with determination, and Peter knew that he won't be winning this argument. "Whoever said doing good deeds comes without risks, Peter. I'm aware of what I'm getting into."

Peter's shoulders dropped in resignation, but there was a small smile on his face. He didn't know whether she was this stubborn on her own, or she became like this in his company. "Fine. I.......I will need to teach you how to web swing then. Our training will resume day after tomorrow." 

Gwen significantly brightened up. "Great! I'll see you then!" 

With that, she left, leaving Peter to sigh. It had been a week since he had gotten a hug from her. Then again, it might have been his own fault. He had been meaning to ask her out, but Goblin happened, and he almost completely forgot about that. His mind had been really occupied as of late with finding all he could about Goblin, creating the new suit from his father's research and what not. 

"Hey, K? Do you think I did the right thing by agreeing to train her again?" 

His AI was silent for a moment, then replied. **"I wouldn't know about that, Peter. But Ms. Stacy will be in more danger, now that she wants to become a hero like you. In my opinion, the most you can do is ensure that she is best equipped to handle the life she is about to begin."**

Peter nodded despondently, "Best equipped............" 

His eyes drifted to his newest work station, where the new material for his suit was under observation. His eyebrows crinkled, "Best equipped..........."

He turned and stared at the spot where Gwen had been a minute ago, then turned back to the station. An epiphany seemed to come to him, and he darted to the work table. "Best equipped!" 

XXXXXXX

Peter tentatively stared at the brand new Spiderman suit lying in front of him. It didn't look any different from his usual suit, except for the fact that it was made from the "Magic cloth." The feel of the cloth was slightly different; it still felt like before, but now it felt slightly smoother than before, almost like the spandex he used to wear. He took a scissors and cut open a relatively small cut on the blue of his thighs. A smile grew on his face as the suit repaired itself before his very eyes. He stretched the area and lo, the elasticity hadn't changed at all. He then moved to his shoulder and opened a larger cut on the red of the suit. The smile didn't drop from his face as the suit stitched itself back together. 

"This is amazing," he whispered as he held up the suit. "I know we tested the properties of the fabric but to see it on my suit..........it's mind blowing." 

His AI's voice cheerfully informed him. **"Congratulations, Peter. Did you know that almost 10 percent of your resources go into your suit repairs? You managed to save those."**

Peter gave a shout of triumph with a fist pump. "Now no need for repairs! And washing." 

**"Need I remind you that even though the newest suit doesn't require washing, it would still smell of your sweat?"**

Peter reluctantly conceded to the point and promised to at least rinse the suit in water once a day. "Alright, let's get ready for the signing." 

After Gwen had left yesterday, Peter had told KAOS to keep lookout for any crime, while he busied himself in making his new suit. Fortunately, there hadn't been any and he had been able to work all the time. He had only gone out for dinner and his late night patrol, after which he had returned to lab. He spent the entire night and till noon the next day, crafting the entire suit, improving and adding the circuitry into his new suit and mask. He had forgotten the last time he had skipped a night's sleep, indulged so much that he couldn't leave without finishing the work, and it was exhilarating. 

He put on the suit, taking a deep breath of the new suit smell. It was peculiar, and almost gave the smell of new shoes. The HUD activated inside his mask, and he smiled as he tested it out. "Thank god it's still as breathable as before. Is everything working as it should be, K?"

**"It's working exactly as it should be, Peter. All the mask and web shooter functions are working at optimum level. Though, you still have to test out the fireproof property."**

Peter winced. He was not looking forward to that, since he had all the bad luck in the world when it came to saving someone from fires. He could never get out of those without damage. 

The "signing" was something that Tony had contacted Peter about yesterday. The man had called in to say that the panel had agreed to the changes Peter suggested and he would be required to sign the document as soon as possible. Peter had replied that he would come by the tower at four o'clock today, but only as Spiderman. His reasoning was because he had no intention of showing his face to any officials who might be there. Spiderman was, after all, rather infamous with the authorities. 

XXXXXXX

Tony waited inside his penthouse with his best friend and his least favorite person in the world, the Secretary of State. Ross had insisted he come, simply because he wanted to meet the vigilante that he eluded the law for such a long time. Tony hadn't believed that shit for a second and had figured out pretty quickly that Ross intended to see the person behind the mask. He had been all for saying "fuck you" to him, but Rhodey had managed to convince him otherwise. 

A lot had happened lately, after Tony came back from Germany with the rest of the team. They had worked tirelessly to correct the accords, seeking help from Tony's lawyers and on Spiderman's recommendation, Matthew Murdoch. Tony was amused that Spiderman had a lawyer, but Murdock had told him that Spiderman and Daredevil had saved his life years ago, after which he had offered any legal help should the heroes require it. 

Thankfully Tony hadn't dug deeper than that. 

Murdoch certainly knew his stuff when Tony witnessed him having a conversation with his own lawyers, who were looking reluctantly impressed with the blind man. It was certainly hard to admit for Stark lawyers, who were among the best in the entire country, that a lawyer from a small firm was just as good as them.

While the accords were under correction, Tony had been digging up another hole. He had been digging up all the dirt he could on Ross, starting all the way from 2006. Bruce had told him before that Ross had been relentlessly in his pursuit to weaponize the Hulk. With that regard, and after much hard work from himself and FRIDAY, he had uncovered enough blackmail material to remove Ross from the accords panel as the US representative. Pretty soon, he won't even be the Secretary of the State. 

All the Avengers were present as well, looking forward to meeting the hero once more. Steve especially wanted to thank Spiderman, because if it weren't from him, they would be fugitives by now. Things were still tense between him and Tony, but they were slowly trying to repair them. Steve had accepted the coldness and the rage quietly, knowing it had been his own fault for keeping quiet. Tony hadn't talked to him for a full week, and despite his reluctance, Sam had managed to convince him to keep some distance. 

Something as big as his parent's murder needed time to come to terms with.

But it wasn't Tony's fault that he couldn't hold grudges for long, as much as he wanted to. Steve had been called to meet with him at the tower, and once he had arrived, Tony had blown up. He had _blown up_ like a pressure cooker, ranting and raving about everything and anything. Steve had quietly listened to the man, letting him take the edge off. Once Tony was finished, he had been silent for a while. Steve hadn't known what to say, so he just sat there quietly. Of course, it came as a surprise when Tony took the first step in mending the bridges by asking if he fancied eating Shawarma.

From then on, it had been slow, but the bridge was slowly being built back to the way it was, perhaps even improved. Steve gained a new appreciation for how much Tony worked for the Avengers, and resolved not to give any more trouble to the man than he had in the past.

It was one minute to four, and Ross was getting impatient. He scowled at Tony, "Where is he? He should have been here by now." 

Just for that statement alone, Tony hoped that Peter would get late due to a crime or emergency. But he had been itching to meet up with the guy since their last meeting. He supposed that he would be busy spending time with the new vigilante that had been operating on Spidey's radar, or be busy with the Goblin. Tony had been worried when the Goblin had attacked, and hadn't assisted Peter for the sole reason because Peter had it handled. 

Peter had _kicked ass._

Spiderman hadn't been damaged at all during the fight, and he had not only minimized property damage, which Tony was infinitely glad for, but also forced Green Goblin to flee. The guy was an artist at what he did.

**"Boss, I have received a message from Spiderman."**

Ross spoke up before Tony could. "What is it?" 

The natural rudeness in his voice was very aggravating, and Tony forced himself to remain seated instead of beating the crap out of him. The nerve of the guy to talk to his baby girl like that!

**"The message says: Boo."**

Before anyone could make sense out of the vague message, a loud "THUMP!" from the window caused them to stand up in an instant, weapons out and pointed to the window, to which Spiderman was sticking to. He even gave them a little wave. 

Natasha rolled her eyes at the immaturity, Clint and Sam snickered, Steve shook his head with an amused smile and Tony and Rhodey waved back at the hero. Even Wanda cracked a small smile. 

"FRIDAY, open the window." 

The window slid open, and Spiderman flipped inside. "What's up guys? Everyone good?" 

Steve stepped forward to shake hands, "Nice to see you again, Spiderman." 

Peter shook hands with all the heroes, and shrugged off Clint's suspicious look and Sam's reluctance to shake hands. They both had good reasons to do so.

He nodded at Ross at the last, "Mr. Secretary." His tone had a blank politeness to it. 

Ross looked him up with a critical eye. "You don't seem much in person." 

'The first comment that comes from him is an insult,' Tony thought as he looked at Peter for a reply.

Peter merely shrugged, not at all bothered by the insult. This guy came nowhere close to Jameson. "Appearances can be deceiving." 

Ross grunted and looked at Tony, who completely ignored him and walked up to shake Peter's hands. "What's up webhead? How've you been?"

Peter smiled under the mask. "Oh you know, the usual. Hunting down a bad guy, the one that looks like a Goblin." 

"If you are finished catching up," Ross interrupted sarcastically, "then do what you came here for." 

Peter hated to agree with the guy, but he needed to get back to the lab to prepare for tomorrow's training session. Giving him a lazy salute, he returned. "Yeah yeah, got it." 

Tony scowled as Ross picked up the folder and opened it, handing a pen to Spiderman. "You know the drill. Mask off and sign." 

Peter rolled the pen between his fingers. "I can see with my mask on just fine, Mr. Secretary. What confuses me is your presence here." 

Ross narrowed his eyes. "Watch how you speak to me, and what do you mean?" 

Peter turned and walked around, completely ignoring the man and making him look quite stupid with holding the folder. Tony bit back a snicker- the man really looked like a secretary in the moment, holding a file for someone to sign it. "Mr. Stark and I have been in contact for some time, and he has regularly been sending me updates of what is happening in the accords panel. You were removed from the panel quite recently, which begs the question," he turned to Ross and for the first time in their meeting, his eye lenses narrowed, "What is your purpose here?" 

The suspicion in his voice caused Ross grit his teeth in anger. Who did Spiderman think he was, talking to him like that? "I'm in my capacity as the Secretary of State to oversee that you sign the document." 

"So you do this for every hero or am I the exception?" 

"You have been operating as Vigilante for seven years, Spiderman. You have evaded the law for so long that I felt that my intervention was required," Ross lied. Truthfully, he really did not have an answer to that question. Agreeing would mean making himself look stupid, traveling the country and asking every vigilante to sign. 

Peter titled his head. "I thought you would be informed by Mr. Stark that I had agreed to sign." He turned his head towards Tony, "Didn't you tell him? You are the Accord's liaison for the Avengers, after all." 

Tony was thoroughly enjoying the verbal beatdown Ross was getting from Peter. "I did actually. Mr. Secretary said that he only wanted to meet oldest vigilante of New York." 

There was no need to tell to anyone in the room how bullshit the statement sounded. Ross carefully hid the embarrassment he was feeling behind a mask of anger. Technically, Stark had repeated the words he himself had told him. His purpose of coming here had been to learn of Spiderman's identity. The abilities of the vigilante made Captain America look pale in comparison. If he had been on the accords panel, he would have been able to access the identities of the superheroes without problem. He would have had no problem taking in Spiderman on a trumped up charge and experimenting on his to replicate his powers.

Spiderman shook his finger at him, as if scolding an unruly child. "Sorry Mr. Secretary, I won't be taking off my mask for anyone who doesn't work directly for the accords. The information a simple signature could give access to is rather dangerous, and only the accords panel has the clearance to access my identity." 

With that, he quickly shot a web to the folder and pulled it towards him, causing Ross to lose his balance for a moment. He signed it quickly with the pen and closed it, handing it to Tony, who had been standing beside him.

"FRIDAY, send the confirmation to the panel that Spiderman has signed the accords," Tony said as he closed the file and crossed his arms. He would make sure the file is secured himself. 

Ross's face was getting red with anger, and he growled, "It's best you show me the respect that I deserve, Spiderman. Otherwise, I can make things very difficult for you." 

Peter's eye lenses narrowed, and his voice reflected his own anger. He didn't growl or anything, just spoke normally, but everyone heard the anger. "I'll show you the respect that you exactly deserve. Don't think I don't know who put the clause of indefinite detention without trial in that document." He was pleased to see a muscle jumping in Ross's jaw, "I also know who put the clause that states enhanced people should wear tracking bracelets all the time. That kind of person deserves a.........well, I won't say those words, but you catch my meaning, right?" 

The Avengers were mostly amused how Ross's face was changing colors, though Steve looked between amused and disapproving. Peter turned away from Ross started walking towards the quinjet pad outside. "As much as I would like to stay Tony, I have to get back to my patrolling. Catch you later?" 

Tony waved him away. "Sure, maybe we can meet on top of a building to eat hot dogs next time."

Just as he was stepping on the pad, Clint called out to him. "Wait!" 

Spiderman turned. "Yeah?" 

"I just need to ask you one thing." Clint narrowed his eyes. "Were you the one who knocked me out at the airport?" 

".................I have no idea what you're talking about." 

With a wave, Peter jumped off from the pad, swinging away. Ross slowly brought his anger down, knowing that his high blood pressure wasn't good for him. Turning from the window, he found himself facing Tony, who gestured behind him. "The door's that way." 

Ross grit his teeth as he tried to regain some of his dignity. Adjusting his coat, he turned and walked away, but not without a warning. "You better watch your steps, Avengers. And tell that insect friend of yours as well. I will be watching." 

As he left, all of them sat down, tension draining from their bodies. "If I didn't know better, he just threatened us. And Spidey," Steve muttered.

"That was a threat, Cap. And coming from a guy like him, that means danger," Clint muttered.

"Not for long," Tony muttered to himself.

Clint turned to his longtime friend. "You know who knocked me out, right?" 

Natasha's mouth twitched upwards.

XXXXXXX 

Gwen stared at the web shooters in her hands. She hadn't known what to say when Peter had given her his very first pair of web shooters, only modified. It had been five days since she "resumed" her training with Peter, and he had been teaching her how to shoot webs at things. It hadn't been hard, in fact, she learned this particular skill much faster than others, even snatching moving objects from air while in the air herself. It was almost as if it was instinct. It was the web swinging that was the problem. 

Even though she had been jumping off rooftops, jumping off buildings was much more different. And _scary_.

Peter's teaching had been different when it came to web swinging. He told her that she was the only one who could teach it to herself. It had been three days since Peter had told her to go and try out web slinging herself, and every day, she went out to a skyscraper, promising to herself that she would do it this time. And every day, she had returned to her apartment, scared shitless. The mere thought of missing a web and becoming pizza on the sidewalk was terrifying. 

"Why is it so difficult?" she whispered to herself, trying to hold the tears at bay. 

"It's only as difficult as you make it to be."

The male voice startled her, causing her to let out a yelp as she wobbled on the edge of the skyscraper she was sitting on. Peter chuckled as he sat down beside her in his suit, wearing a backpack. Gwen relaxed seeing it was Peter, but huffed. "One of these days, I'm going to put a bell on you." 

Peter chuckled in amusement. "You can try. So, what is it? I got your distress call." 

"It wasn't a distress call. I just needed your help." 

Peter just stared at her from his mask's eyes. Even Gwen internally winced at how whiny she just sounded. Peter shook his head, "I'm gonna pretend you didn't say that. So, what's the problem?" 

Gwen didn't say anything for a while, but Peter patiently waited for her to answer. Finally, she said, "I'm always so scared. Scared that the web will miss and I'll.........die." 

"Ohhhh," he breathed in realization. So that was the problem.......

"Gwen," she looked at him, "that is completely normal. In fact, I'd be worried if you weren't."

Gwen pursed her lips. "How did you do it?"

Peter chuckled, "I forced myself to climb the empire metro building and took a selfie over there. Then I closed my eyes and jumped off, letting my instincts take the lead."

Gwen hugged her knees to herself. "You make it sound so easy..........When will I know that I'm ready?"

"You won't," Peter said, "You'll just have to trust yourself and take a leap of faith. That's all it is Gwen...........a leap of faith." 

Gwen finally let the tears fall as she sobbed. "I feel like a failure............."

Peter bit the inside of his cheek as he rubbed Gwen's back. "Perhaps you need some courage." He then took off his backpack and pulled out the brown package. "Maybe this will help you when you stand on a skyscraper next time." 

"What's this?" 

Peter smiled, not that she could see it. "Something that will help. And remember, when you swing, don't try to copy me this time." 

With that, he jumped off, swinging with a reckless grace that Gwen envied. It was as if he wasn't even paying attention. She looked down at the package and opened it, eyes widening when she saw just what it was.

It was a spider suit, and a beautiful one at that. It was mostly black on the lower body with a white upper body, a hoodie and cyan soles. The under arms and inside the hoodie were magenta covered in cyan web patterns, and her forearms and knuckles were covered with black carbon weave. The lenses were white with magenta accents. The spider symbol on the back was made with a jagged pattern. She considered what to do or not to do. 

'Screw fear. This time I'll do it, for sure!'

XXXXXXX

it was eight in the evening, and people were doing their business or returning home from their business. The streets were full, like they were on every second of the day. People were walking on the streets, but if anyone would look up and observe carefully, a figure was standing on the tip of the Empire state building. Though on second thought, it would be difficult to see, considering the height of the building.

It was feminine, the suit she was wearing hugging her body such that every curve was visible, along with the subtle definition of her muscles. She wore a white mask with lenses similar to those of her mentor, along with a hood on top of that.

Gwen's heart was beating faster than ever, as she gazed downwards. The HUD of her mask told her that it was a 443 meter drop, a height anyone would think twice before jumping from.

As she closed her eyes, the mask's lenses narrowed, and she opened her arms and tipped herself forward, letting gravity do the rest. Her feet left the tip of the building and she fell to the ground, accelerating every second. Even through the mask, she could feel the wind rushing past her face.

The ground was nearing, and Gwen could feel the terror starting to resurface in her mind. 

_Let your instincts take the lead.............._

Her spider sense buzzed and her eyes shot open. Her hand stretched out and a web line was shot from her web shooters, latching onto a building. She heard the people's shouts as the line suddenly went taut, and she swung mere feet from the ground. The adrenaline levels were off the charts, but Gwen found herself liking the new feeling. As she arched upwards, she let go of the line and flipped upwards, her body twisting like a screw. Another web shot out when she neared the ground again, and this time, she swung herself to the side of a building. She ran along its side, her strides looking not those of an athlete, but like a professional ice skater. 

She jumped off the building, spinning another web and shooting herself forward, laughing giddily as she went up in the air. Why had she been afraid of this? This was amazing! She could see why Peter liked the web.

Doing a loop de loop around a crane. The momentum carried her even higher than a few skyscrapers, but Gwen wasn't afraid in the slightest. She landed on the side of a building and kept running, jumping off the edge and free falling. At a point she had deemed enough, she shot a web at the building from she had jumped off, swinging back and into an arch, going higher. She let go off the web and easily landing on the roof.

She gazed at the city and took off her mask, a grin of epic proportions on her face. There weren't words that could express what she was feeling right now, so she did the only thing that felt right in the moment. "WHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

XXXXXXX 

"I told you she could do it." 

"I gotta say............you make a fantastic teacher, Spidey." 

Peter and Tony were standing several rooftops away from Gwen, in their respective suits. The HUDs allowed them to see Gwen's first swing, and Peter couldn't be anymore prouder of his student. Even though to him, Gwen was more than just his student, but his belief was reinforced that he made a pretty decent teacher. 

"So her suit..........did you make it or did she?" 

"I did." 

Peter stood up from his perch. "Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta go and congratulate her." 

"When are you going to make your move?" 

That question caused Peter to falter a little. ".........Maybe when I have dealt with the Goblin. See you around, Tony." 

Tony watched Peter jump down and make his way towards Gwen. It was clear as day to him that Gwen was more than just Peter's student, even if he never told him. "Likewise Peter," he muttered before activating his thrusters and flying away. 

Gwen was so into her celebration that she failed to notice him landing on the antenna behind her. "That was brilliant!" 

She turned around, eyes lighting up at the voice. She found him crouched on the antenna above her, lenses wide. By now, she knew him well enough to know that he was grinning behind his mask. Peter jumped from his perch and landed before her, taking off his own mask to show his proud grin. Gwen hugged him out of sheer joy. "I did it Peter!" 

Peter hugged her back, smiling softly. "I'm proud of you Gwen." 

He was completely caught off guard when Gwen pulled back and smashed their lips together. His mind was completely blank for a moment, unsure of how to respond. Then he reciprocated by wrapping her waist with his arms and bringing her closer. The feeling was unlike anything he had ever felt before. Even with Mary Jane, he hadn't felt like this. Her lips were soft, and he could taste vanilla. Even though he rarely ate vanilla ice cream, he found the flavor to be rather tasty.

As if remembering what she just did, Gwen made to pull back, but Peter just pulled her closer. A surprised yelp escaped her as their lips reconnected, but she just returned it with enthusiasm. This wasn't her first kiss, but definitely the best one she had ever experienced. Peter certainly knew what he was doing, and she gasped when he bit her lower lip. She felt his tongue nibbling her lips, asking for permission. She merely pulled his head closer and let out a moan when she felt his tongue exploring the inside of her mouth. She shivered lightly when she felt his hands roaming, rubbing her sides. They went down to her lower back, but not beyond. It was almost as if he was afraid of crossing boundaries. 

Smiling against him, she tightened her hold on his and jumped up, wrapping her legs around his waist and locking behind him. His hands automatically went to support her, holding her by the back of her upper thighs. Feeling bold, she pushed his tongue back and after a brief battle, she was exploring his mouth. He tasted of chocolate, which was rather fitting of him. Gwen found herself wanting to taste more of him. 

Being superhumans, their stamina was enhanced as well, but it wasn't infinite. Soon enough, they broke the kiss due to lack of oxygen. Breathing heavily, they rested their foreheads against each other. Each could smell the flavors they had just tasted from the heavy breaths they were releasing. Gwen's legs hadn't let go of Peter, so she was still leaning into him.

"Wow," Peter whispered, a grin breaking out on his face. "Remind me why we haven't done that yet?" 

Gwen mirrored his grin and gave him a small peck. "Because you forgot about it. And you were scared." 

".......Maybe," Peter said at last before nuzzling Gwen's neck, planting small kisses on the part of the suit that covered her neck. She sighed in pleasure and tilted her head the other way to give him more access, running her hands through his air. "I have to say though, the feeling of your curves pressed into me is rather heavenly," he teased. 

Gwen just punched his chest before trying to pull away. Peter laughed as he held her legs firmly, pulling her closer to him. "Oh come on! That was a compliment!" 

"Pervert," Gwen muttered, but she was smiling. She didn't mind that statement at all. Just as she was leaning in to kiss him again, their super hearing picked up an explosion. Their heads turned as one to their right, seeing the smoke rising in the distance. Peter released her legs to set her on the ground while he put on his mask. 

**"Peter, there has been an explosion in the Times square!"**

While explosions were rather common when it came to criminals, Peter knew of the only guy who had the balls to do it in Times square. 

"Goblin."


	9. Culmination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goblin has finally made his move, but Peter hesitates to put Gwen out in the field so early. She's clearly not ready, despite what she seems to think.

Peter's eye lenses narrowed as he watched the news feed on his HUD. There was no doubt about it, this was Green Goblin's doing. Peter could say without missing a beat that there was more to this attack than a random hit at Times square, otherwise he wouldn't have disappeared for days.

Goblin had definitely planned something. Something big.

He was about to jump off the ledge when Gwen appeared beside him, her face covered by her mask. Peter immediately pointed at her with his finger. "Oh no! You are NOT going over there, Gwen!" 

Gwen's lenses were wide. "But what if you need help? Or what if-" 

Peter cut her right off. He needed to end this conversation fast, because he had no idea of what kind of chaos Goblin was capable of causing. That, and Goblin might target civilians if he didn't show up fast. "Gwen, I've been doing this for seven years. I think I can handle Goblin on my own. You on the other hand, have just started swinging. There's no way you are fighting Goblin with me! You're not ready!" 

But Gwen was not deterred in the slightest. She just narrowed her eyes and poked his chest with her finger. "Don't you dare say that to me! You didn't give me this suit so that I can go out for a swing just every once in a while! I want to make a difference like you do! I'm coming with you, and you can't stop me!" 

If it had been anyone else, they might have whimpered and ran away at the expression on Spiderman's mask. The widening and narrowing of his masks alone could tell people just what he was feeling, and at the moment, the anger was like a tight, palpable cloud of thunder, ready to explode any second. But Gwen was not deterred in the slightest; she calmly gazed at his, arms crossed across her chest. They stared off for a few more moments, after which Peter released an angry sigh and pointed a finger at her. "You are to ensure that the civilians remain safe. That is your only job in the fight! Now let's go!" 

With that, he leaped off the building without waiting for her reply. Gwen just gave a small, unnoticeable smile beneath the mask and followed, swinging right behind him. She was sure that if she had been a teenager right now, she would have protested and demanded to fight with him. But as an adult, she could see that ensuring the civilians were safe was also an important job. Not only that, but this way she won't interfere in his fight as well. 

Peter turned around a corner to see a sight that caused horror to course through him. Times square had honestly seen better times, because now it only looked like a place well on the verge of collapsing entirely. He immediately swung into action, air rushing past him as he fell downwards towards the group of six people, frozen in terror on seeing the giant screen falling towards them. His hands shot forward, web lines sprouting from his wrists, creating a giant spider's web within moments to catch the falling debris. A maneuver he perfected out of necessity a long time ago.

He landed on top of the debris, dangerously swinging the web up and down, but it held. Jumping, he landed in front of the small crowd. "You know, when things like this happen, you usually have to run in the opposite direction," he jokingly said. 

The people, taking their cue, immediately scattered away, barely keeping themselves from shouting in sheer panic. Absently, he wondered whether they were tourists, because New Yorkers had long gotten used to running away when a super villain attacked.

He turned around to see Gwen crouched on a lamp, speaking to a group of people and pointing a finger towards a safe zone. Turning his head, he looked around for anyone who had yet to vacate the square. "KAOS, anyone caught in the debris?" 

**"There seems to be a woman underneath the debris near the police station."**

Her voice was hurried, and Peter wasted no time in moving over to the debris, lifting it and throwing it aside as if they were paperweights. Lifting the the metal plank and throwing it aside, he uncovered the woman whose eyes were wide with panic, looking at him with relief on her face. Peter hid a grimace when he saw how her left leg was bent in three places. Bending down, he tried to assure her, "Don't worry, Miss. You're alright." 

He gently held her leg, ignoring her yelps of pain. "Sorry, but I need to wrap this, otherwise it would be even more painful for you." 

He created a splint with his webs and wrapped it as gently as he could around her leg. Thankfully, a medic came running towards him. "Take her away quickly, she has a broken leg." 

"HEY THERE, WEBHEAD!" 

On reflex, he jumped up in the air and webbed the pumpkin bomb coming towards him, throwing it high in the air, where it exploded harmlessly. Landing on a streetlight that wasn't broken, he returned the greeting. "Long time no see, Gobby. Were you on vacation?" 

"No, I merely needed time to come up with a better plan to ensure your complete silence," Goblin returned easily, as if he were discussing daily news. "How did you do this, Goblin?" 

Peter narrowed his eyes at his foe, trying to get some answers from him. "You couldn't possibly have done this much damage on your own." 

"Oh! How _delightful_ that you brought a friend with you!" Goblin exclaimed when Gwen landed beside him. Peter inwardly cursed at that; he was hoping to keep Goblin's attention solely on himself, away from Gwen. 

"Yeah, she is a rookie. I'm just giving her some field experience," Peter returned lightly, senses on high alert. There was something he was missing here. 

**"Peter, he isn't alone,"** KAOS informed him, her voice having a bit of worry. 

He whispered back to her. "Who's with him?" 

"I brought a friend with me as well!" Goblin said in childish excitement. 

**"The Rhino."**

Just as KAOS said, Rhino came blasting out of one of the stores in a rampage, his stomping causing minor tremors in the ground. Peter and Gwen tensed simultaneously as Rhino's attention focused onto them. Aleksei Sytsevich, the Rhino, was one of Peter's main villains, having fought him constantly throughout his superhero career. The man was extremely tall, towering over most people, and incredibly muscular. Much of his body was covered in a gray armor suit designed after a rhino, which included two metallic horns on his helmet. 

He possessed immense physical strength, which Peter had found highly problematic every time he fought him. His armor made it extremely difficult for Peter to lay some punishment onto him, because of his enhanced durability. The man was literally built as a tank. 

Of course, he was also dumb as a rock. In short terms, he was a highly impulsive and short tempered idiot, which Peter always took advantage of. Of course, right now, he was wondering just how Goblin managed to break Rhino out of the Raft without it leaking into the news. The breakout of a guy like Rhino couldn't possibly have been kept discreet for long.

The Rhino stomped towards both of them, stopping just beside Goblin. "The webhead bring a friend?!" 

Of course, Peter knew exactly what was going to happen next. "Scatter, Spiderwoman!" 

Gwen understood immediately and jumped away. Goblin turned to Rhino and asked him in an overly sweet voice that dripped with malice. "Rhino, why don't you go and make friends with Spiderman's student? I'm sure she'd love to be your friend!" 

Rhino snarled. "RHINO GO AND SQUASH LADYBUG!!" 

He ran away after Gwen, leaving Peter crouched on a streetlight, face to face with Green Goblin. Peter's eye lenses remained narrowed, "Why are you doing this Goblin? Why are you after me? And how did you break Rhino out of the Raft?" 

"Usually, this is the part where I just kill you and be on my way," Goblin's voice took a contemplative turn, "but since you are about to die anyway, I might as well tell you the reason."

He leaned forward, the mask of the Goblin with its terrifying grin betraying the intelligence his voice took on. "You see, I have big plans for this city. Plans that will twist the very way this city operates! But there are certain people in this city, _heroes_ ," he spit the word as if it were a curse, "who could threaten my plans. So I decided to get rid of them, starting with you. As for how I got Rhino, well..........let's just say I have good connections." 

"What makes you think you can take on the Avengers and win?" 

Goblin let out a snort. "HA! You really think I would be alone in my endeavor? There are people like me, locked away. I'm sure that if I gave them their freedom, they would be delighted to help me!" 

Peter stood up from his crouching. KAOS silently switched to the enhanced combat mode, where she would be silent for the most part of the fight, unless Peter asked her something. "As if I would let you do that." 

The Goblin giggled as if he was actually amused. Peter could only imagine the insane expression behind the helmet. "You are going to die today, Spiderman. I sincerely doubt that you would live after what I'm about to put you through. Tonight, you will be in a particularly _unfriendly_ neighborhood." 

As he finished the statement, he was holding two pumpkin bombs in his hands. Peter's spider-sense blared, and he did the only thing that seemed a wise choice.

He ran.

Flipping back with all his legs could muster in an instant, Peter swung away, with a bomb-happy Goblin following him. Peter made sure to stick high, because Goblin had no qualms about public safety and therefore, didn't care if his bombs dropped to the ground. Peter found himself in a bit of a bind as he had to defend himself and the civilians simultaneously, and only partially succeeded. There were a few bombs that escaped his grasp, crashing into the buildings and exploding. It was tough, and it only got tougher as Goblin added those highly annoying pumpkin knives into the equation. 

Peter swung around a flagpole, catching two of the knives at the same time with splitter webs. He let go of the string, allowing it to catch on the flagpole. The knives went around in circles until they crashed into each other and finally exploded. His attacks on Goblin were useless, because he kept enough distance between him and Peter to maneuver around the attacks. Peter leaped off, once again finding himself being chased. 

"This is getting ridiculous. I need to get behind him somehow," he muttered to himself. 

He flipped himself into a high arc and didn't spin a web, letting himself fall below. The Goblin laughed like a maniac high on drugs and shot green lasers out of his fingers, changing directions and coming right at him. "I admit, that you have an annoying tendency to survive, Spiderman. But not to worry! The Green Goblin has every contingency in place to test the limits of that ability! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" 

"Contingency?" 

Peter seriously doubted Goblin was joking about that. Catching himself with a web, he swung dangerously low to the ground among the traffic. He webbed a corner of a building and pulled himself out of the arc, hoping that his play would work. 

Goblin followed Spiderman, laughing at the mere thought of what he was going to do to the city's favorite hero. But as he turned the corner, he stopped laughing because his prey was no longer in sight. He whirled around, trying to find out where he had gone off, but nothing sprung up in his HUD. 

"Peek-a-boo!" 

Suddenly, his vision was obscured by something white, obviously Spiderman's web. Before he could pull at it, his entire upper body was bound in thick webs, immobilizing him. Something crashed into him and he was thrown off his glider, falling towards the streets below. "Can't fly blind, huh Gobby?" 

Peter unleashed almost half of his strength, trying to damage Goblin's armor. Punching him in the face, the Goblin was separated from his by a few feet. With the pavement fast approaching, he webbed Goblin back to him and landed a vicious kick, right in the face. He was immensely pleased to see a few chunks get torn from the helmet. 

Goblin activated his laser and cut through the webs. Pressing a button on his right forearm, the glider whizzed towards him, slashing through the air. It caught him perfectly, and he flew right through the traffic. Peter mentally cursed and shot a web to the very top of a skyscraper, putting himself in a long, extremely fast and dangerous swing. It got him close, and he was very thankful for the fact that the Goblin was traveling straight. Before he could change course, Peter shot a web that caught itself on the glider. 

The Goblin looked back, having cut the webbing on his face and laughed at the hilarious sight of Spiderman clinging onto his glider with a web line. "HAHAHAHAHAHA! This is just PERFECT!" 

He dropped low to the ground, forcing Peter hurriedly use his legs to run along the ground, the cars, the trucks, just so he wouldn't crash into one. His spider-sense, speed, reflexes and agility was being pushed to the maximum as he struggled to hold on to the glider _and_ not crash into something. He cursed when Goblin made a sharp turn, throwing him forward, right into a spike that would gut him if he didn't do something _fast_. 

His left hand shot out, a web shooting forward and catching a traffic light. Pulling on it, he abruptly changed trajectory, once again trying to hold onto Goblin's glider. But he had to change his tactics as Goblin began shooting those annoying lasers at him, without even turning his head. "IT'S SO MUCH MORE FUN TO FIRE BLIND!" 

A laser got lucky and cut right through the web line that was adhered to the glider, causing Peter to plummet to the ground. He caught himself with a web and swung behind him, their tables having turned. He cursed when a series of low rooftops came into view, causing him to let go of the web and resort to free-running. He jumped off the ledge, going high above the rooftops when he saw it. His eyes widened, jaw going slack when the top of the water tower in front of him opened and a gun popped up. Without even aiming at him, it started firing pumpkin bombs _all over the fucking place._

It took all of his seven years of web slinging experience that he was able to dodge the random explosions around him. His HUD flashed red as a scan went over the street ahead of him, and the very fact that his AI spoke with panic laced in her voice while the enhanced combat mode was activated caused him curse the laughing maniac who was flying ahead of him. **"Peter, Goblin has booby trapped the entire block! All the water towers contain his bombs! And there are a 100 men 400 meters away on a warehouse rooftop, completely armed!"**

"It just gets better and better," he muttered sarcastically before steeling himself.

He was going to _tear right through the traps._

Still swinging like a lunatic, avoiding the bombings, Peter made his way towards Goblin's men. He had never contorted his body in so many positions within a moment's notice for a long time, and it was starting to wear on him. Nevertheless, he managed to get out of the radius of the bomb launchers, closing in on the rooftop where Goblin's men were waiting for him. Without wasting time, not waiting for them to open fire, he started firing away.

First he exhausted his web bombs, catching a total of twenty one thugs on the front line. Right before landing on the rooftop, he sent a concussion wave at them. He grinned under his mask when the wave caused a domino effect, the thugs toppling over the ones standing behind them. Before the ones at the back could get smart, he unleashed his suspension matrices at them, leading to panicked shouts as they were levitated in the air. Peter knew he had a window of seven seconds before the matrices deactivated, so he had to work fast. 

Before the thugs that were downed by the domino effect could get back their bearings, he _moved_. Making full use of his enhanced physiology and electric webs, Peter blitzed between the immobilized men, requiring no more than one hit to knock them unconscious. The thugs gave short screams as they were cut off, never having seen 'friendly' Spiderman go on a rampage like this. It was a one-sided riot; he was nothing more than a blur, and the few who had managed to get up with their weapons in hand, couldn't aim at him because they were either just too slow, or they were knocked out before they had a chance to aim at him. It really spoke about Goblin's desperation to bring him down if he was hiring third-rate thugs and giving out military grade weapons out to them like candy. 

Just as the seven second window came to an end, the thugs suspended in the air were caught by gravity and landed on their butts, the device holding them having deactivated and self-destructed. But Peter was already finished with majority of the hired help. A quick scan revealed that only about twenty thugs were remaining. He brought out his spider-drones, who thoroughly distracted the thugs enough for him to take them out. It took him a total of eight seconds to bring down fifteen of them with punches and kicks alone. Two trip mines caused four of them to stick to each other, and Peter spared a moment to snicker when they lip-locked. Bending forwards to avoid the grenade coming at his back, he shot a web line at the last thug, pulling him towards himself and taking him out with a vicious 540-kick. 

He landed in his signature crouch, right leg bent and left leg extended outwards, his right hand supporting him and left held back behind his head, panting heavily. 

Goblin had a bloodthirsty grin under the helmet as he admired the image. Spiderman crouched before him, with a litter of bodies left in the wake of his fury. "Magnificent," he uttered, "Absolutely magnificent. To avoid my traps and tear through a small army, even if they're thugs of the lowest kind, in only a matter of minutes, without a scratch on yourself.........it's an absolute shame that we are not on the same sides, Spiderman." 

Peter panted as he stood up, glaring at the Green Goblin from his position. "You're next," he whispered. 

" _Au contraire,_ my dear fellow," Goblin held back the giggles as an army of _flying,_ explosive pumpkin bombs rose behind him. "We have merely begun." 

Peter grit his teeth upon the sight. He was getting tired, and he would lose if he didn't finish this fast. Dropping into a crouch once again, he whispered to KAOS. "How's Gwen doing?" 

XXXXXXX 

"This isn't going well.........."

"I WILL SQUASH YOU, LADYBUG! THE RHINO WILL EMERGE AS THE VICTOR TODAY, AS SPIDER IS NOT HERE TO SAVE YOU!" 

Gwen flipped over a bar on the ceiling of the warehouse. "So you admit that you can't defeat Spiderman by yourself?" 

The mock caused the already angry Rhino's rage to explode through the roof. He roared, and jumped right at her, intent on wrangling her neck. Gwen easily jumped out of the window, while Rhino collapsed the entire wall with his exit. She swung, causing Rhino to chase after her. Truth to be told, she was feeling rather scared and panicky, for this was the first ever fight she had willingly jumped into and she blamed it on bad luck that her opponent turned out to be Rhino, one of Peter's main rogues. She didn't know how to beat someone who could literally make paste out of you. All she had done until now was lead Rhino away from the crowds.

"I really wish Peter were here. I have no idea how to go about this," she said with a worried frown.

**"Perhaps I could be of some assistance, Ms. Stacy?"**

"KAOS!" Gwen exclaimed with surprise and some relief, dodging the fire hydrant thrown at her from behind. Seeing it about to crash into a car, she caught it with a web line and attached it to a traffic light. "How can you speak to me?" 

There was a note of amusement in her voice. **"Peter knew from the beginning that you would join the superhero business, but it wasn't supposed to be this soon. He wanted to ease you into it, starting small. He programmed me into this suit, along with many safety measures, just in case you need some help, such as now."**

"You mean you know how to beat this guy?!" 

In spite of the danger Gwen was in, KAOS seemed to remain perfectly calm. **"I do have access to most of the fights Peter has had over the years with many of his villains, even if I was created after he put them away. So yes, I can help you."**

Gwen turned right, her spider-sense warning her of the truck right in front of her. She pulled on the web, going right over the truck. Rhino however, wasn't as agile as she was; he crashed head on with the truck, pieces of glass and metal flying in the air as it was smashed by the brute. Rhino's agitation grew as Gwen was only leading him on a chase. "Stupid ladybug......I WILL CRUSH YOU!" 

He ripped out the engine of the truck and threw it at her as if it was a softball. Gwen yelped and jumped up, the engine completely missing her. Landing on the side of a building, she taunted him. "Your aim sucks, big guy!" 

But the smile on his face unnerved her greatly. "I wouldn't say that." 

Gwen turned around in confusion and her eyes widened in horror when she saw the engine crash into the wall of a building, causing it to collapse, brick by brick. But a mother and her son were standing right below the falling debris. "Oh shit!" 

Moving faster than she ever had in her life, she raced along the wall, jumping right at the duo and sweeping them right before they were buried in bricks. Panting heavily at just how close of a shave it had been, she turned to the mother and forcefully shoved her. "Run away!" 

Thankfully, she did just that, without questioning who she was. Her spider-sense buzzed and she jumped up on instinct on the wall, right before Rhino smashed into it, shattering it into pieces. Unfortunately, her position on the wall was too low and therefore, she couldn't react in time when the entire wall collapsed, breaking her grip. She fell onto the ground, right in front of Rhino.

"This is gonna hurt," she muttered, right before Rhino lifted her by the leg and proceeded to smash her into the ground repeatedly, like a piece of cloth. Having never experienced pain on this level before in her life, she was almost reduced to tears. Her entire back was hurting, along with her arms and front, and she was pretty sure that she had cracked at least one bone, if not broken it outright. Rhino then spun her around and threw her violently into the building in front of them. 

The people inside screamed and ran away as Gwen tried to get her bearings. Spots were dancing in her vision, and every movement was a challenge in itself. "It hurts........."

Her groan was cut off by KAOS, who spoke with hurry. **"Ms. Stacy, you need to dodge NOW!"**

Pushing past the pain, Gwen pushed onto her feet and jumped, with Rhino missing her by inches as he went crashing through another wall. Clinging upside down from the ceiling, she whispered in pain. "I really would like to know how to beat him now." 

KAOS highlighted Rhino's face in her HUD. **"You notice how every part of his body is covered in armor except for his face?"**

Gwen could hear the rumbling, signalling Rhino coming back. She quickly moved out of the store, with Rhino following her once again. "Yeah?" 

**"And have you also noticed that he has crashed into four fire hydrants on purpose?"**

Normally, Gwen would have immediately made the connection as to what KAOS was trying to tell her. But since this was her first time in a high-stress environment, her internal panic was overriding her rational thinking, not allowing her to think straight. "So what?!" 

KAOS sighed in exasperation. **"Peter was right, you're not ready. I think it's best if you simply follow my instructions for now, Ms. Stacy."**

Gwen was starting to think that Peter may have been right after all. She was not ready to tackle a super villain right of the bat. She needed help in this fight. "What do I need to do?!" 

A map was enlarged onto her HUD, and a spot was highlighted in red. **"You need to lead Rhino over here, Ms Stacy."**

Not wasting any time, she changed roads, with Rhino following her in a fit of rage, shouting how he would squash her like a bug. "What is there?"

**"An entrance to a steam tunnel."**

Quickly reaching the square KAOS had highlighted, Gwen saw the entrance on the road. "I see it!" 

**"Good. Now lead him into it."**

Gwen still couldn't see what KAOS was trying to make her do, but she did as she was told. Flipping ahead in a small burst of speed, she landed right next to the entrance and flipped it open. Beckoning to the rapidly approaching Rhino, she jumped right in. 

Rhino snorted. **"You really think I'll fall for that trick again?"**

He wasn't prepared for two web lines to shoot out and attach to him, pulling him inside.

Gwen panted as she watched Rhino crash into the tunnel. She had to use every ounce of her strength to pull him inside the tunnel, and her muscles were protesting. "Just how much does this guy weigh?!" 

KAOS sounded pleased. **"Now that you have brought him here, have him punch the steam pipes."**

Gwen's eyes widened as she realized the ramifications of that. "I can't do that! Doing so would-"

**"Just do it!"**

Having no choice, she did as KAOS told her. Rhino froze when he heard her taunt him. "Who's running away now?" 

His head turned to her with a snarl and he charged, intending on impaling her with his horn, rage making him forget his previous experience in a steam tunnel. "NO ONE MOCKS ME AND GETS AWAY WITH IT, YOU FREAK!" 

Gwen dodged at the last moment, causing his head to bury itself right inside a steam pipe. Rhino screamed as he immediately pulled away, the hot steam burning his face. Gwen narrowed her lenses at him. "I'm a freak? Have you looked in the mirror lately?" 

She could see KAOS's plan now. Jumping up, she dodged the fist that buried itself into a pipe, releasing even more steam. She continued taunting him and making him punch the steam out of the pipes. Soon enough, she was sweating under the suit, but not as much as Rhino's face was. "What's the matter, mouth a little dry?" 

The taunt further enraged him; he charged at her and she flipped out of the way, causing him to break yet another pipe. The tunnel was filled with steam by now, and Gwen was pretty sure that manholes were bursting on the outside. "So, is that hide of yours really impenetrable?" 

Rhino glared at her as he panted heavily. The bitch had deliberately made him do this, he realized. His first defeat at the hands of Spiderman happened just like this, in a steam tunnel. But it was too late by now. He muttered with loathing, "You made me do this........" 

Gwen shrugged from her position, having fully understood what KAOS was having her do. "If nothing can penetrate, then you can't perspire. Your face is sweating for your entire body, which is probably enough under most conditions, but not in a steam tunnel," she wagged her finger playfully. 

Rhino managed to give her one last glare before dropping unconscious, having been fully dehydrated. Gwen panted as she lifted her mask up to take some deep breaths. "Man, I don't see how Peter deals with him on a regular basis. He's just ridiculous." 

The fight now over, and adrenaline leaving her body, the pain made itself known. She winced as she almost dropped to her knees, her upper body quivering as her injuries made themselves known. She knew she needed to get out of here, but what about Rhino? 

Putting on her mask, KAOS's voice came through. **"You must get out of here at once, Ms. Stacy. The authorities would be here soon to collect Rhino, and they wouldn't hesitate to open fire on you."**

Gwen grimaced as she limped towards the entrance. The world was not acting friendly towards vigilantes right now, which was what she was right now. "I thought New York had warmed up to Peter. Why would they be against another Spider hero?" 

KAOS sounded a bit unsure as she replied. **"They might not be, Ms. Stacy, but you also have to see that New York has been seeing Spiderman for seven years now, and they know that he would do anything to protect them. They are sure of that fact. The public is unsure of an unknown hero's intentions, but since you are working with Peter, they might see you in a positive light. They might also label you as his sidekick."**

Gwen sighed in annoyance. "I really hope they don't do that." 

She leaped high up from the entrance of the manhole, shooting a web line and swinging away just as the police cars turned around the corner. Landing on the roof of a skyscraper, she all but dropped onto her back. "KAOS......where is Peter?"

**"He's on his way to your location, Ms. Stacy."**

Gwen frowned as she heard the sudden tightness in KAOS's voice, causing her to get a bit nervous. "What's the matter? He won, right?" 

KAOS chose not to answer that question. **"Don't worry Ms. Stacy, he will be here in approximately five minutes."**

Her reply didn't fully reassure Gwen. 

XXXXXXX 

_Half an hour earlier........_ The army of bombs hovered all over the rooftop, and Peter was seriously pissed off right now. He asked his AI in a low voice, "KAOS, how many bombs are there?" 

A quick scan revealed the number. **"Three hundred, Peter."**

Peter bit back the curses that wanted to flow from his mouth. He spoke in a mock happy tone, "For me? You shouldn't have!" 

Goblin laughed and spread his arms. "Oh, but I wanted to!" Then his tone turned menacing, "Consider this a final gift before you meet your maker."

On the last word, all the bombs began moving around the rooftop in a seemingly random pattern. Peter fell into a crouch, ready to dodge at an instant's notice. Suddenly, one bomb flew towards Peter, who reacted instantly. Snagging the bomb with a web line, he spun it around and threw it towards the other bombs, hoping the explosion would at least take out a couple of them. He gave a huge grin under the mask when the bomb collided with one other, and the explosion from both of them took out several of them in a spectacular series of explosions. 

Under his helmet, Goblin was giving off a glare worthy enough to impress the devil. Pressing a few commands onto his wrist interface, he muttered, "No more playing. Let's see how you deal with this, Spiderman." 

This time, instead of one bomb, a group of ten converged on him, fast. Peter's eyes narrowed when he saw Goblin press something on his gauntlet, then they widened and he let out a curse when a group of ten converged on him from all directions. Crossing his arms, he pressed down on his palm to charge up his concussive blast. There was a ninety percent chance he would get caught up in the explosion, but if he timed it right, he might escape the blast radius in time. 

Just as they were a meter away, Peter released the blasts on both sides, jumping up simultaneously. The blasts were powerful enough to throw the bombs back, and some of them got knocked into each other, causing a chain of explosion that took out all of them. Landing well behind the explosions, Peter hurriedly spoke to his AI. "KAOS, Goblin is using something, most likely the interface on his gauntlet to control these explosives." 

He cursed as another group mobilized, moving towards him. "See if you can hack into it and deactivate all of these!" 

**"I'm on it right now!"**

Peter rolled his neck, "In the meantime, let's see how many I can take out." 

For the next ten minutes, he danced around the roof of the warehouse, luring the bombs close enough to him and dodging at the last moment, taking it out and the group that followed. Occasionally, he used concussive blasts to push the bombs into each other to causing a chain of explosions. But he wasn't always quick enough to dodge the blasts every time.

Goblin turned out to be a surprisingly perceptive bastard. On seeing Peter take out groups of bombs at a time, he pulled them back, opting to send at most three bombs at him, and occasionally firing at Peter with a machine gun installed in his glider, such as now. Peter flipped around the bombs, honestly looking like a cross between a gymnast and a street dancer rolling and flipping on the roof of the warehouse. His spider-sense aided maneuvers allowed him to dodge the bombs at the last moment, causing them to crash into the roof and explode. Goblin descended on him, having switched from a bomb-happy maniac to a trigger-happy one. Peter ran and jumped off the roof, spinning a web and sticking to the wall. The Goblin went overhead, already turning around to fire at him, but Peter was back on the roof. 

"How much longer, K?! 

KAOS sounded stressed at her creator's plight. **"I'm almost there, Peter! Just hang on a little more!"**

Peter panted heavily as he webbed a bomb towards him and spun it, throwing it towards the ones that were on standby around him, but they were far from each other, therefore only two got destroyed. He had long since figured out that throwing bombs at Goblin didn't work at all. He was pretty sure he was running on fumes and willpower alone right now, his muscles exerting themselves faster than they could recover. Goblin spread his arms, a hint of anger coloring his voice. "GIVE UP, SPIDERMAN! THERE'S NO WAY YOU CAN ESCAPE FROM HERE ALIVE!" 

Peter chuckled lightly, the action sending waves of pain through his being. He had got caught in quite a few explosions, and it had worn him down steadily. He was at a disadvantageous position, because Goblin was at full strength right now, not having exerted himself at all during their fight. "You'll be the one losing today, Goblin."

That simple sentence Goblin to snarl at the man. "Your bravado is useless, _hero_. Now........DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEE!" 

Peter simply stood in a crouch as all the remaining bombs, which were still a large number, raced towards him. Goblin grinned sadistically under his helmet, knowing that Spiderman would be resting in pieces after he was done with him. There won't be enough to even identify the body! 

However, his train of thought came to an abrupt stop, shock gracing his features as all the bombs deactivated mid-air, becoming nothing more than duds as they harmlessly clattered on the roof, with Spiderman crouched in the middle of the mess. Grinning under his mask, saying a quick thanks to KAOS, he stood up and crossed his arms. "Hey Gobby! What were you saying again? Something about killing me?" 

He watched as Goblin's entire form began to shake with rage, fists tights curled at his sides. All of his frustration at Spiderman not dying during their fight finally made itself known. "HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?! HOW DID YOU DEACTIVATE THEM?!" 

Peter smirked, 'There's a reason I call her Kick-Ass Operating System.' Out loud, he said, "You're not the only one with an ace in the hole. As for your second question.........."

He flipped the finger at him. "Fuck you, that's how." 

Goblin released angry breaths as he forcefully calmed himself down. Long distance tactics were obsolete, as Spiderman had proven himself unexpectedly smart, and as persistent as a cockroach, unwilling to die, no matter what. He spoke, but some anger leaked into his voice. "Fine then, I will end you myself. You are beyond tired, and I intend to finish this quickly." 

Peter's lenses narrowed, and he took a deep breath to settle himself. He expected Goblin to bombard him with bullets, or even pumpkin bombs he might have on his person. Which was why he was utterly shocked when Goblin suddenly rushed towards him, still on his glider. Further shock left him unable him to react when Goblin leaped from his glider right at him. He crashed into Peter with such force that it pushed all the air out from his lungs. The roof collapsed from beneath his feet and they both plummeted towards ground level, with Goblin holding him by the throat.

He intended on crushing his skull into the floor. 

Peter's knee lashed out and struck Goblin right in his solar plexus, causing him to let out a grunt and loosen his hold on Peter. Taking advantage of the momentary relief, he shot out two web lines that latched on to the roof. Pulling on them, he brought both of his legs close to his chest, back flipping and pushing Goblin into the ground, where he made a small crater. Landing nimbly on his feet, his spider-sense alerted him to the glider approaching at him in his blind spot. No longer wanting that thing to interfere him, he jumped up, spinning and catching the glider by the front. 

The glider passed harmlessly beneath him, causing him to come to the conclusion that its lock on him wasn't as accurate as the flying bombs. Seeing it heading back to Goblin, Peter held the web with both hands, and held on.

From his position, his hold on the glider was such that the glider changed directions, now moving under centripetal force. He let it crash into rows of racks containing who-knows-what, and watched with a small amount of confusion as it went straight through them, right out of the warehouse. His eyes widened and he ducked under a punch that would have easily given him a first degree concussion. Turning around, Peter found himself on the defensive as he continuously blocked, deflected or dodged attacks from the surprisingly skilled Green Goblin. Deflecting a right jab, he delivered a left side kick to Goblin's chest. 

Goblin stumbled behind from the force of the kick, but recovered faster than Peter, partly because Peter was almost completely exhausted. He ran forward with a cry and delivered a flying side kick into Peter's chest, causing him to cough out some blood. The white spider on his chest, made of carbon polymer, softened the blow as much as it could, but it seemed useless currently because Peter had already taken a lot of punishment. The force of the kick also sent him crashing into a wall, cracks spreading from the impact. The small rips and tears in his suit closed up, which a small part of his mind was grateful for. 

Repairs were a bitch. 

Dropping down to his knees, he tried to heave some air into his lungs, but every inhale and exhale hurt, as if his chest would almost break. In his HUD, KAOS highlighted the parts of his body that had suffered damage. From what he could see, bruises were forming all over, and thankfully, he had only one cracked rib. He could work with this. 

With willpower and mental strength alone, he pushed himself onto his feet, eyeing Goblin who stood a few feet away from him. Without saying a word, he walked up to Peter and delivered a devastating punch to his gut, causing him to bend over and drop to his knees. 

"At first I thought I was prepared in every way to kill you, Spiderman. But your ability to stand after such punishment, to survive, has really pissed me off," Goblin quietly told him. Peter ruthlessly pushed aside the pain and looked up, seeing the straight-from-hell grin on Goblin's face. His lenses widened when Goblin flicked his hands, causing silver claws to come out. "After I've finished you off, I'm going to kill your little student. I will personally make sure that nothing is left in this world that you are connected to." 

For the first time in this fight, true, righteous rage coursed through him, causing him to grit his teeth in a snarl. His lenses narrowed as the rising anger gave him a strength that had only been acquired by him one time, against Dr. Octavius. Goblin slashed at his face, but Peter caught his wrist, stopping the nails mere centimetres from his face. His other hand came forward, trying to stab his heart, but Peter caught that too. Slowly, but surely, Peter began standing up and pushing Goblin back, who despite his near full strength, failed to inch his hands forward. Snarls erupted from both the men's throats, but Peter was the one succeeded in standing face to face with Goblin. Giving a bloody grin under his mask, he curled his hands and slowly crushed Goblin's armored wrists, holding his hands in place when he tried to pull them away.

Leaning forward, he spoke in a deadly whisper. "You won't even get the chance." 

With that, he raised his right leg and brought it down on Goblin's foot. Armor broke under the force of the stomp, and Goblin's foot got crushed. He let out a shout of pain as his hands were held from holding his foot instinctively. Peter threw Goblin's arms apart, and landed a brutal double punch to the face and the gut. Goblin grunted as he was thrown back rather painfully. Peter wasted no time, and started firing shots of webbing at Goblin, which curiously did not stick to him. 

Instead, Goblin watched in horror as the webbing ate away at the armor. Peter talked as he walked forward, "Ionic webbing, designed to eat away the armor." 

With that, he launched on the offensive. Goblin's defense was futile as Peter's anger provided him the energy needed to turn the fight in his favor. With every jab, hook, kick, strike he blocked, his armor fell apart like burnt paper. Finally, Peter kicked at his right knee, forcing it sideways. Goblin hissed as he automatically put his weight on his left leg, and left an opening. Throwing a web line, he caught Goblin's hand and threw it sideways, attaching the web to the wall. Repeating the process, he forced the Goblin to stand with his arms spread wide. 

Then he walked back, attaching webs to both the sides, and _pulled_. 

Goblin's eyes widened under his helmet as he figured out what Spiderman intended to do, and he started struggling to break the hold on his arms. Slowly, the part of the wall where the webbing was attached started to crack, but the webbing didn't break. Spiderman was fifteen meters away from him right now, the stone in a slingshot. 

Peter let out audible groans of struggle as he pulled himself back. His arms were straining to hold the web, and he was pretty sure a muscle had torn up in his left forearm. He ignored the shouts of concern from KAOS, looking towards Goblin who had almost torn himself free. 

"Bullseye," he whispered, and cut the adhesion in his legs, sending him forward like a rocket. He front flipped and crashed feet first into a free Goblin, sending them right through the wall behind them. Goblin coughed as air was forced out of his lungs by the crippling attack. He no longer was capable to fight Spiderman in his condition; his armor was in all but pieces . He inched himself backwards as Spiderman advanced on him like a predator. 

Desperately trying to find a way to turn the fight in his favor, a devious idea popped into his mind. He relinquished control over to Norman, who immediately screamed in pain, suddenly aware of his injuries. Peter stopped in his tracks on hearing the voice. He immediately became aware that the man currently in front of him wasn't Goblin, but someone else. Because Peter injured him quite a while ago, and he was screaming now? 

Secondly, the voice was no longer the nasally, menacing voice of the Goblin, but the pained voice of an old man. The man held up a hand, shouting at him. "WAIT! PLEASE WAIT, SPIDERMAN! IT'S ME!" 

Peter watched in shock as hands came up to take the helmet off, and he couldn't contain his gasp when red hair came into view, along with a shockingly familiar face. "Norman Osborn," he whispered, mind blown away by the reveal.

There was an expression of utmost relief on on his face, mixed with pain from his injuries. "Thank god for you, Spiderman!"

But Peter was far from the naive fifteen year old kid in spandex. Such an act would have fooled him back then, but not now. He kept his guard up as Norman pushed back to support himself on the wall, putting pressure on his left leg. His eye lenses narrowed as he whispered, "You tried to kill so many people, just to get at me." 

Norman desperately shook his head and whimpered. "No, it wasn't me! It was the Goblin! He made me do all of it! Please don't let him take control of me again!" 

So focused Peter was on Norman's face, searching for any tell of lie, that he missed the brief squeeze of Norman's right fist. Norman continued his explanation, his voice breaking occasionally. "I tried to stop him, to hold him back, but I couldn't." 

He spread his arms, eyes watering. "Please help me, Spiderman."

Peter did not relent his glare; he so desperately wanted to ask him about Harry, but if he did, his identity might be at risk. He would have to try subtlety, which really wasn't his strong suit. "Where is your son?" 

The question was so out of place that Norman blinked stupidly for a moment, then a small frown crossed his face. "Why would you want to know that?" 

Peter crossed his arms. "I know that Harry Osborn is suffering from Oshtoran syndrome, Norman. Rapid degeneration at cellular level. And trust me, ever since Peter Parker came to me with that information, I've been searching high and low for Harry, anyone who's been trying to treat him." He leaned forward, enjoying the shock on Norman's face. MJ had gotten quite a surprising amount of information from Harry's journals. "The one who's been treating him.........it's you, isn't it?" 

The first warning he got was from his ears. The low, almost unnoticeable hum of an engine, somewhere behind him. Any normal human couldn't have noticed that, but he had enhanced senses. The second warning he got was from Norman. The look in his eyes changed with a snap, as Goblin seized back his control. An insane grin spread across the face of Norman Osborn, a look that somehow seemed to suit him. "Goodbye, Spiderman!" 

The final warning came from his spider-sense, which buzzed loudly, signalling incoming danger. Reacting instantaneously, he back flipped, the blade of the glider missing him by a hair's breadth. Goblin's eyes widened as the blade whizzed towards him. He only had a moment to panic before he was pierced through the gut, the blade nicking his lungs as well and passing through. Goblin didn't even have time for scream of rage before he was wiped out from Norman's mind, the dominant part of the two getting back his control, and he screamed in pain. 

Peter landed rather ungracefully, falling on his butt, the last of his energy spent. He looked at Norman, whose blood was gushing from his mouth like a waterfall. Norman looked at him, and for a moment, horror passed through him when he couldn't believe what had happened. The glider was buried . Norman grit his teeth as he pulled on every ounce of his strength to utter his final words, believing that Spiderman would be able to help his son by telling his best friend. "My............lab...........five *cough*.........one........two........one *cough*..........nine...........nine..........six." 

With the last word, Norman Osborn died, his head falling forward. 

Peter reached up to remove his mask, revealing a bloodied face with an expression of mild grief and disbelief. Even though Norman committed horrible acts as Goblin, his last words were spoken for his son. Painfully, he pushed himself onto his feet, putting on the mask. He still needed to get to Gwen, and fast.

**"Peter! Are you alright?!"**

The frantic voice of his AI greeted him. Peter slowly nodded, "I'm alright.......mostly. Where is Gwen? I need to get to her." 

**"Peter you are not alright! You have contusions all over your body, four cracked ribs and three muscle tears in your left forearm! If you swing in your condition, you only risk worsening it!"**

Peter winced. Not that he wasn't touched by the concern being showed for him by KAOS, but there were more important things to be done right now. Besides, he's survived _way_ worse in his teenage years. "I live, K. But first, I need you to give me Gwen's location and status." 

KAOS wanted to argue against Peter, but she was programmed to obey him, first and foremost. With a sound of resignation, she put the location on his HUD, along with a list of Gwen's injuries. **"She's not that injured from Rhino. Only three cracked ribs, a first degree concussion that's almost healed, and a cracked Tibia."**

Peter winced as he heard the injuries. This was not how he wanted Gwen to be introduced to crime fighting. Rhino was one of his more stronger rogues, and he could only guess how difficult it was for Gwen, who probably hadn't fought before in her life, to fight a brute like Aleksei on her first day. Not only that, but this was the first time she was experiencing cracked bones, and the first times were very agonizing. Still, nothing was broken, so that's a plus. "Alright, tell her I'll be there in ten. Next, I want you to contact Tony for me." 

In the bottom left corner of his HUD, Tony's face popped up as KAOS called him. Peter slowly walked towards a bottle of water lying on the ground among the debris that fell when the glider crashed through the rows of cargo. To his surprise, Tony picked up on the second ring. "Peter, FRIDAY informed me of what's going on. Are you okay?!" 

His voice was frantic and laced with worry. Peter sighed as he picked up the bottle and managed to reply in a normal voice, "I'm mostly fine, Tony, and so is Gwen. But that's not why I called you. I need you to send a clean up crew at my location." 

He heard the slow exhale of a breath on the other side. "Ok, I'll have a Damage Control there in twenty minutes. But really, you sure you're okay Pete?" 

Peter smiled a little at Tony's concern for him. "Nothing a good night's sleep won't fix, Tony. But that's not all- I want you to supervise the clean up personally, if you can. If you can't, send the person who you trust the most who can do it." 

Tony frowned as he heard Peter make that particular request. He had a feeling something big had happened during his fight with the Goblin. "Peter, what happened?" 

"Norman Osborn, a.k.a. Green Goblin is dead, killed by his own glider. And there is military grade weaponry lying around. Something that looked like it was custom made just for Goblin, which I can guess that Norman had manufactured." 

Tony raised his eyebrows in surprise. So the former mayor was the maniac terrorising the city under the mask of the Goblin. That explained the custom made weaponry. Of course, it was no secret to him that Oscorp had been conducting shady business for a long time. Still, that was a good enough reason for him to be there personally. He wanted to have a look at Goblin's tech anyways, prevent it from falling into wrong hands and all that. "Alright, I'll supervise the clean up personally. Anything else?" 

Peter shook his head. "No, I'll meet you day after tomorrow to debrief." 

He cut the call and drank the entire bottle of water, the tension dropping from his shoulders and a small amount of relief filling him. He winced as a sharp pain went up in his left arm. 'That's right, I have muscle tears,' he realized. 

He wrapped up his arm in some webbing and a sling before making his way out of the warehouse. He had to get to Gwen.

XXXXXXX 

Gwen didn't know how long she kept laying on the roof, but knew it had been a while. The pain was slowly receding, which meant her healing was doing its job perfectly. She had wanted to give into unconsciousness, but KAOS urged her to remain awake until Peter arrived. Just as she couldn't out hold any longer, she heard a grunt a few feet away from her. Thinking it was an enemy, she jerked up, but almost passed out with relief when she saw the familiar white spider. 

Peter didn't have any scratches on him, but the way he moved, slowly and cautiously, with a small limp and left arm in a sling, told her that it had been a tough fight. He dropped beside her, gently shaking her, "Gwen, you okay?" 

Gwen winced, her consciousness slowly slipping away. "Al.......most." 

Peter blinked when Gwen suddenly passed out in his arms. Panic starting to creep in, he asked KAOS. "K, is she-" 

**"She's just passed out, Peter."**

He gave a sigh of relief as he looked at her. "The mental strain of her first fight must have been enormous. I need to get her some medical help for now," he muttered, eyes flickering to the Avengers tower in the distance. Shaking his head slightly, he picked her up with his good hand, moving her around onto his back with great difficulty. Tying her to him with his webs, he swung off towards Hell's kitchen. "It's way too early for you and me to take our masks off in front of the Avengers." 

Avenger's tower was not the only place that provided medical assistance to superheroes. While Peter may be slightly afraid of her, he couldn't deny that Claire Temple provided excellent medical service.


	10. The end?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After finally defeating the Green Goblin, a.k.a Norman Osborn, Peter tried to think of the aftermath. 
> 
> If it got revealed that Norman Osborn was the Green Goblin, there was nothing that stood between Oscorp's path to damnation. It would be finished, which left Peter to deal with Harry by himself.
> 
> He was a bit wary whether Gwen would be accepted by the public or not, but figured that her signature on the Accords would take care of that.
> 
> His relationship with Gwen progressed to new heights, and they both couldn't be happier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **LEMON WARNING**
> 
> #Just making a correction, folks. Nothing new to see here.

For a while, Gwen felt that she was floating somewhere that was neither here, nor there. She was entirely aware of what was going on around her, or where she was. Her last memory before passing out was seeing Peter's mask, and that was it. As her awareness returned little by little, she mustered enough strength to open her eyes.

And immediately closed them at the amount of light that assaulted the delicate, enhanced senses. A pitiful moan escaped from her throat as she turned her head away, closing her eyes. "Ugh....."

"Looks like she's awake, and bishop takes knight-check," a smooth, male voice spoke, but what caused her to stiffen was the voice didn't belong to Peter. 

"Dammit......I told you, she heals fast. She has powers similar to mine, after all, and king to rook 2," Peter's relaxed voice joined the conversation, causing her to relax. She wasn't in a hostile environment. 

"It's a good thing she does. And just what the hell were you thinking, allowing her out in the field like that?! She's not ready!" 

Gwen minutely frowned at the angry female voice that was no doubt scolding Peter. She wanted to get up and tell them that she insisted to help him, but her body was more tired than she thought, because every movement seemed like a chore.

She heard Peter sigh in resignation, "Don't I know it......"

"Come on Claire, give him a little credit. Pete knows better than to put any student of his right in front of the Rhino for her first fight. Also, rook to king's rook 3-check," the other male in the room spoke up in defense of Peter. Gwen was a little perplexed, why were they playing chess?

"Yeah! What he said- give me a little credit. And bishop to rook 3, by the way," Peter returned, and Gwen could just imagine the pout on his face. The mental image of Peter pouting was just too cute. 

"Still, you should have been a bit more stern with her, Peter. I have a feeling that you taught her to be this reckless," the female voice chided, a hint of knowing suspicion in her voice, like a sister scolding her brother. Wanting to know what was going on, Gwen finally made an effort to sit up. 

"You might want to help her, Claire. Her ribs might be tender still. Bishop takes bishop, Pete," the male voice called out. 

Hurried footsteps came towards her, and Gwen ignored Peter's quiet cursing in order to take support from the hands holding her shoulders, pushing her up into a sitting position. Taking care to keep her head low to avoid the light, she opened her eyes once more, coming face to face with the other female in the room. She was an African-American woman with black eyes, wearing a purple t-shirt and blue jeans with a lab coat. Her eyes had a soft look in them as she asked her, "How are you feeling, Gwen?" 

Knowing that she was in a safe environment, her name being announced didn't alarm her much. "Alright.......almost. There is some pain in my leg, and my ribs hurt when I move," she admitted. 

The woman, Claire, nodded as if she expected this. "Well, that is to be expected. You had three cracked ribs, and even with your accelerated healing, it will take a few days before the pain fully goes away." She extended a hand, "I'm Claire Temple by the way, though I work under the moniker of the Night Nurse." 

Gwen grasped the hand lightly, a small smile on her face, "Gwen Stacy, and I haven't chosen my name yet." 

Claire smiled, "Don't worry, Peter took it on himself to come up with a name," she said, giving a side glance to the sheepish person in question, "and it's as corny as his own." 

Gwen turned to Peter who waved his right arm in his defense. It was then she noticed that he was blindfolded, sitting in front of the other male in the room, who was wearing red-shades and a black suit, and had his own arm in a swing. They both had a tablet between them, a chess game active on the screen. "Hey, it was the best I could come up on the spot. I had a feeling that Gwen would have been annoyed if I were to call her Spider- _girl_." Turning his head to the other guy, he said, "Rook to bishop 4." 

The other guy turned to her with a smile. "Looks like I'm the only one who's left to be introduced." Getting up, he walked towards her, and only then did Gwen noticed that he used a cane for walking. _Is he blind?_

Resting his cane on her bed, he extended his left hand. "Matthew Murdock of the Nelson and Murdock law firm, pleasure to meet you. Just call me Matt." 

Gwen returned his handshake, refraining from asking if he was blind. "Pleasure." 

"If you don't mind me asking Mr. Mu- Matt.......why is Peter blindfolded?" 

Her question caused some confusing reactions. Peter gave her a grin, Claire just shook her head in exasperation, and Matt raised an eyebrow in amusement. She shook her head, "What?" 

"We're playing blind chess," Peter answered her, getting up from his seat and walking over to her, not hesitating in his movements at all despite the lack of sight. "Since DD here is, you know, _blind_."

Gwen's eyes grew wide at the revelation. She never would have imagined that the famous vigilante of the Hell's kitchen was blind. More importantly, "You're Daredevil?!"

Matt's smile dropped as he turned his head to his side. "Next time, wait for my permission Parker," he said in a no-nonsense tone.

But Peter just laughed it away, having gotten used to his friend's antics for a ling time. "Come on man, we're all friends here." 

"Rook takes rook." 

Peter narrowed his eyes behind his blindfold. "Pawn takes rook." 

Matt gave an easy smile. "Bishop to bishop 7." 

Peter paused to think over his next move, while Gwen gave a look to Claire that clearly spoke- _Why the hell are they playing blind chess?!_

Claire snorted and moved over to whisper in her ear. "Peter insists upon a game every time they meet, even if he loses every time. Matt was the one who hooked Peter into playing with him, stating it was good for the memory. Ever since their first game, Peter has been trying to win," she revealed. 

Gwen gave a look of realization and asked, "Since when have they been at it?" 

But Peter seemed to have gotten his next move. "Queen takes knight pawn."

Claire looked at her watch. "Matt here, arrived one hour before you guys did. They only started playing over an hour ago, when they woke up." 

Matt gave a grin. "Bishop to bishop 8- discover check.........and incidentally, mate." 

Claire and Gwen watched in bemusement as Peter took off the blindfold to look at the tablet, and his shoulders drooped in disappointment when he realized that he had lost again. 

Peter asked with an accusing look on his face. "How do you win every time? Can you secretly see?!" 

Matt just chuckled at his antics and clapped him on the shoulder. "If it makes you feel any better, you lasted a great deal better than last time, Peter."

"Where are we, by the way?" 

The question came from Gwen, and Peter answered her. "You are in Hell's kitchen, in the clinic of the Night Nurse, medical assistance for all manner of Vigilantes and Superheros." 

Gwen honestly felt relieved that her identity was still safe. If Peter trusted these guys, then she would do the same. Looking down, she saw herself in a a large, neon t-shirt and black lower, with bandages wrapped around her ribs. Looking up, she asked Claire. "When can I leave?" 

Claire shrugged. "Anytime you want. Just be careful to take it easy on yourself for a while," she turned and gave a narrow eyed stare to Peter, "unlike this idiot who I know will not."

Peter shrugged. "Can't avoid duty." 

Claire slapped him on the arm harshly, causing him to wince. "I know you can't, but will it kill you to not exert yourself for a while," she hissed.

"Don't worry Claire," Gwen said as she stood up, "I'll see to it that he doesn't." 

"Finally, a woman who will keep you in check," Claire muttered while looking upwards, as if thanking the god for a miracle.

"Keep talking and I'll tell her what you did three weeks ago," Peter snarked at her. 

Horror passed over the nurse's face. "You wouldn't." 

Peter smirked in a self satisfied way. "I would, so I would watch it if I were you." 

Turning over to Gwen, who had removed her suit from the hanger, he said, "We have to get you signed on the Accords, by the way." 

Gwen sighed. _Not one day into the superhero life and I already feel a headache coming on._

XXXXXXX

Three days passed since the fight with Norman and Rhino, and the shitstorm that Peter had been expecting finally made itself known.

Norman Osborn had been exposed as the Green Goblin, and following that, the entire city was in an uproar. Many slanders followed the former mayor's death, and to Peter's surprise, the public praised Spiderman for putting a stop to that. At first, Peter had been worried that the city would start to think that Spiderman had turned into a killer, but thankfully, the autopsy reports had revealed that Goblin had been killed by his own hand, trying to gut Spiderman from behind.

It had been Tony who provided the press with that piece of news. 

Peter was pretty sure that if Jameson was still the chief editor of the Daily Bugle, he would have slandered Spiderman so hard that his reputation would literally have been in tatters. Adding on to that, Peter was sure that Jameson's legendary hypocrisy would have come into play. Days before the fight with Goblin, Jameson's "Just the Facts" was slandering both him _and_ Spiderman. Goblin for his terrorizing attacks on the city, and Spiderman for attracting the wrong kind of attention and not trying harder to put stop to him.

Now that Green Goblin's secret identity had been exposed, Jameson jumped to the other side of the fence. He gave supposedly "heartfelt" sympathies to Norman Osborn, and to Peter's indignant shock, slandered Spiderman for ending the life of the former mayor. Not only that, but the man had the gall to say that Norman was only doing his job in trying to put a stop to the menace that was Spiderman. 

So it turned out rather ironical, and in Peter's opinion, hilarious, that Jameson's show's rating dropped like a meteor. People called him on his show and heavily criticized him for his constant attempts to defame Spiderman when he was only doing his job. Not only that, but KAOS had faithfully let him hear the one person who was brave enough to say it outloud that he wondered if Jameson was siding with a terrorist. 

Thankfully, for the first time since Peter had met the man, Jameson took the hint and backed off. Peter knew the silence wouldn't last for long, but he would treasure it for as long as it lasted. 

Moving onto the matter of Gwen, Peter had been somewhat taken aback at the public's reception of her. It was surprisingly positive, if he was to compare his own welcome years ago. But then again, their thinking might have been based on something along the lines of "Spiderman is a good guy so any other spider person that comes along is a hero as well." 

Peter didn't know whether that was good or bad. 

Oscorp's reputation was in tatters, after it was revealed that the Goblin's tech was manufactured by the tech giant. Peter didn't care what happened to the goddamn company, but he did care about the person standing next in line to sit on its throne. Peter had visited the Osborn apartment as soon as he was fit to move, and found the lab with some help from his faithful AI. The state that Norman had left Harry in, in the name of his experimental "treatment", caused any and all guilt he felt for the billionaire's death to evaporate, causing rage to take its place. 

Harry was kept in stasis in a holding tank filled with green liquid, a black, web-like, viscous substance clinging to him. According to Norman's records, he intended to cure Harry's genetic disease with the Devil's breath. The stabilized version anyway. 

That was the entire purpose that Norman began the project, Peter had realized; it all fell into line. Horrifyingly, Peter had discovered that the black, sticky substance was alive. The substance clinged to Harry's body, moving around ever so slowly to the parts where it did whatever it was designed to do. Peter had been devastated to find out the state of his best friend, to know that Harry's treatment had been a lie that his father had told him. 

Peter didn't know what to do- there was no way he could move Harry anywhere safe all by himself. Asking help would mean telling other of Harry's condition, and he did not want anyone to take advantage of his friend when he was in a helpless state. But there was one person he trusted to take care Harry appropriately, at least until he could stabilize the Devil's breath into the cure that it was meant to be. 

He contacted Tony about the issue, who he was glad to have made friends with. Even Tony was livid what Norman had done to his own son, and promised him that he would move Harry to another place until Peter started working on the cure.

How he intended to move Harry, Peter left it to Tony. The man was no expert in discreet, but knew when the situation required some subtlety. 

The second day involved going to the Avenger's tower to debrief and get Gwen signed on the Accords. 

_**Flashback**_

_Tony watched the news in his lab, taking a short break from working on the nanoparticles. Taking a sip from his cup of coffee, he hummed thoughtfully._

_The last three days had been hell, but in a good kind of way. When Peter had informed him that Norman Osborn was the Green Goblin, he was caught between the state of surprise and suspicion. He never knew that Osborn had the gall to attack the city like this, much under the skin of a supervillain. Green Goblin's first appearance in the public would have left a devastating impact on the people's psych, but fortunately, Peter had been able to get the best of him, restoring the hope for the people.  
_

_It isn't that Tony didn't want to help. In fact, he was all for assembling the Avengers to deal with the freak. But Peter clearly had it handled, in a way that only he could have done. Spiderman's unpredictability and speed were the deciding factors in his first victory that sent Goblin running with his tail between the legs._

_Anyway, he had supervised the clean up personally, as he said he would. And he was glad that he did, because if anyone else would have gotten that tech, only god knew what kind of trouble would have stirred up._

_The sight of Norman with his glider buried into his middle, with dangerous amounts of blood surrounding was enough for some of the crew to empty their stomach on the site. While the tech didn't have any evidence as to where it came from, it wasn't needed. Tony knew just what kind of person Norman Osborn was- the kind who didn't trust anyone for more than a few seconds. He wouldn't have trusted anyone to build the tech for him, which meant the tech was designed and assembled by Norman himself._

_The press was not easy to deal with, but Tony was able to handle them all by himself. In fact, he made sure that the information would be interpreted in a way that would bring Oscorp down from the throne it sat on. He found the company to be highly suspicious, and wouldn't have been surprised if it had worked with HYDRA in the past. It would take a while for the company to recover the losses it was about to have._

_On the other hand, the public had praised Peter, and was gave a surprisingly warm welcome to the kid's girlfriend. Gwen used a very clever way to take out the rhino, just as Peter had did all those years ago, during their very first encounter._

**_"Boss, Spiderman and Spiderwoman have landed onto the quinjet pad. Should I let them in?_**

_FRIDAY's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Oh right, Spiderwoman needed to sign the Accords, if she wanted to continue operating. That, and if she did sign, Peter would be able to train her under safer conditions. The training area at the Avengers compound was designed specifically for this purpose, to train a new generation of heroes, and he designed it himself to the best of his ability and resources, with the help of Rhodey, FRIDAY, Cap, Natasha and some of the remaining agents from SHIELD._

_"Let them in, Fri."_

_He got up and took the stairs to the penthouse of the tower. Arriving to the living room, he found the both of them standing by the window, looking over the view that was granted from the top. "Hey webheads!"_

_Both of them turned around, and damn if it wasn't creepy to look at two sets of bug eyes at the same time. Even more creepy when the expression on Peter's mask totally contrasted with that cheery tone of his. "Hey, Tony!"_

_Gwen's tone was a bit more composed and formal. She nodded at him, "Mr. Stark."_

_Tony waved a hand at her. "None of that bullshit, Spiderwoman. Just call me Tony."_

_By the little jerk of her head, Tony deduced that Gwen wasn't expecting him to be so informal with her on their first meeting. Oh well, people were always surprised when they first met him._

_"Alright, now that we have the introductions aside," Peter said, turning to Tony, "is it safe to take the masks off?"_

_Tony frowned, and held up a finger. "Hang on a sec," he muttered, looking at a camera, "FRIDAY, please ensure our privacy."_

**_"Of course, boss."_**

_Even though Gwen knew that Tony Stark had an AI, she still jumped a little at the sudden response from the disembodied voice in the room. She watched in awe as the viewing glass turned dark, and a ding from the elevator informed her that this floor was probably not accessible until further notice. She was surprised though, that Peter trusted Tony Stark enough to take his mask off in his presence. Then again, he had signed the Accords._

_Peter took off the mask swiftly, revealing his handsome face, hair sort of flattened by his mask. Gwen hesitated only for a moment, before she took off her own mask as well._

_Tony smiled and extended his hand, "Pleasure to finally meet you, Ms. Stacy."_

_Gwen wasn't entirely surprised that he knew her identity; Peter might have told it to him in case it came to her signing the Accords, such as now. She returned a small smile and shook his hand tentatively. "Pleasure to meet you to, M-Tony."_

_"So," Tony began with a smirk, "Your performance in your fight with the overgrown Rhinoceros was quite impressive for the first time."_

_Gwen gave a small, nervous smile. "As much as I would like to accept that compliment, I can't. KAOS pretty much dictated all of the fight," she revealed, to her shame. After all the training that Peter put her through, she couldn't even take down Rhino._

_Peter captured her thoughts perfectly, for her patted her shoulder good-naturedly. "No need to feel ashamed of that fact, Gwen. Everyone needs some help the first time around, and you did great. After all," he gave a knowing smile, "I didn't teach you to fight at all."_

_"And that is something that Accords can help you with," Tony cut in, now holding a folder in his hands. "Once you sign the document, you will have access to the Accords training facilities, along with qualified instructors who will help you improve your skills. They will help you to not only improve, but also get you adjusted to working in a team."_

_A sudden pang of worry hit her. "Peter won't be training me? And working in a t-team?"_

_Tony gave an amused smile. "Even though Peter has signed the Accords, he refused to become an instructor, even a part-time one like the Avengers have agreed to. Plus, it was agreed with a majority vote that it was for the best. With some of the Avengers spending time at the facility and others out doing missions, it's good to have a hero in the city, just in case," he shot a glance at Peter, who rolled his eyes, "Still, even though we have several qualified instructors, for the program, there are some things that only Peter can teach you. If you bat puppy eyes at him, he might agree to become at least a part-time instructor," he finished._

_Peter snorted, "As if that'll work on me." Not wanting to test it, he picked up from where Tony left off, "Also, I might not know much about working in a team, having done so only once, it won't be that bad...........at least, I don't think it will be."_

_Tony deadpanned at him, to which he replied with a cheeky smile. He sighed and handed the folder to Gwen, "Your boyfriend is required to follow the rules just as much as we are. He may not be working with a team, but the others aren't too worried about it."_

_Gwen blushed at "boyfriend", but didn't deny it. She only hesitated for a moment before signing and handing the folder back. "Why is that?"_

_Tony shrugged, "He took down Cap, that's good enough for me."_

_Gwen looked at Peter with shock, "You took down Captain America?!"_

_Peter gave a nonchalant reply. "It's not that hard to take down an old man whose weapon is a giant frisbee."_

_Tony snorted at that, a vague memory of some meme coming to his mind. Not only that, but it amused him just how lightly Peter talked about defeating Captain America. Almost as if the blonde was no competition for him at all. "Talk about yourself, Pete. Anyway, Gwen here will be required to attend mandatory training sessions at the nearest facility. She will only be allowed in the field once she reaches a certain standard, and that too under a senior, more experienced hero."_

_Gwen frowned as she crossed her arms under her bust. "But Upstate is too far for me to make regular trips. I can't just ditch my job, and how do you just expect me to ignore the crime?"_

_Tony smiled, as if having expected that. "Don't worry sweetie, Peter can handle the crime just fine without you. You won't be allowed in the field to avoid the repeat performance of what happened with you during your fight with Rhino. As for Upstate, if you can't do that, then you can train here. The Avengers tower has three floors dedicated entirely towards training sessions. I can arrange for Natasha to train you. She doesn't like spending time Upstate anyway."_

_Peter raised an eyebrow and grinned, looking at Gwen. "I don't know whether I should be afraid or proud that my student is gonna get trained by the Black Widow."_

_Gwen's eyes were wide with shock, having trouble believing what she had just heard. "I'll be training under Black Widow?!"_

_Before she had any chance to ask more questions, Tony put up a finger. "If you wanna ask questions, do it directly with Romanoff. I'll have FRIDAY send you her contact."_

_Gwen visibly struggled to reign in her excitement. "R-Right."_

_Gwen glanced around, trying to look at anywhere but Peter and Tony. Truth was, even though she was excited to train under Natasha Romanoff, she felt rather sad to leave Peter's side. He was her first teacher, and an excellent one at that. Peter mentally smiled at how eager Gwen was to train under one of the Avengers, but wasn't upset at all to let her go. He would have loved to teach her more, but a system was now in place, a system to regulate and keep watch of how heroes were to be monitored, trainees and seniors. But if he had accepted to teach her, it would look like he was partial to her. And while he had reason to be- she had spider powers after all- he would then be required to become a part-time instructor as well._

_And he really wanted to keep his schedule as free as possible._

_Peter looked over to Gwen. _Man, a lot must have been going on in her mind right now_ , he thought with passiveness. Looking over at the clock, surprise showed on his face. "Hey Gwen, didn't you say that you were supposed to meet your father right now?" _

_Gwen let out a confused "Huh?" before looking over at the clock. Her eyes widened as panic started to creep in. "Oh my gosh, I have to go!"_

_Both the senior superheroes watched with mixed degrees of mirth at how quickly the blonde placed the mask on her head and dashed towards the pad. Thankfully, FRIDAY opened the glass door just in time for Gwen to run out, shouting out a hasty "Sorry!" before jumping off the pad, rapidly swinging away._

_"Well, she's a fast one," Tony commented casually, turning back to Peter._

_"Yeah," Peter muttered, before turning to Tony and taking out a pen drive from one of his secret pockets. "Listen, I've got an idea about some suit upgrades, and I think you might benefit from this too. Interested?"_

_A familiar gleam took place in Tony's eye. "I'm listening."_

_**Flashback end**_

That had been a very fruitful day for Peter. The hours that Peter spent with Tony that day in his lab could almost be compared to geek heaven. 

Today was the third day, and it was raining. Peter hated patrolling on rainy days; not only was it difficult to shake off the cold, but the raindrops fell right onto his lenses, messing up his HUD and making everything blurry. 

Thankfully, the good news that kept him going was that Gwen was coming over for dinner tonight, saying that now that they are a couple, they should spend more time together..........well, as much time as a superhero couple can. The mere thought made Peter smile with anticipation as he caught up to the burglars in the car. They thought that just because it was raining, it would be easy to steal a car. Needless to say, Peter made short work of them in under a minute. 

"Now, the police are on their way here. Until then, I want you to carefully think about where you went wrong," he admonished them like a parent scolding a child. The fact that they were stuck together in a web cocoon upside down didn't help their situation at all. To his amusement, one of the thugs actually started cursing out loud.

"Dammit, we still got caught!" 

"We wouldn't have if you had just taken the tunnel!" 

"Don't you dare put this on me! This was your idea in the first place!" 

"Oh yeah? Then maybe you should've stopped me!" 

"When has anything ever stopped you from getting your way, you overgrown brat!" 

"Ah, moments like these make this superhero job worth it," Peter commented to himself as he jumped away from the bickering duo. "KAOS, anything else that requires my attention?"

**"No Peter, nothing as of now. But it's almost time for you to be getting home. Ms. Stacy would be arriving in ten minutes, and you shouldn't be getting late on your first dinner. It's already eight thirty pm."**

Peter nodded to himself and swung faster, knowing just how bad his track record was when it came to dates. He arrived two blocks away from his building and dropped into an alley, walking out as Peter Parker in mere moments. Peter hastily walked towards the food joint on the other side of the road and ordered enough thai food to be packed for two people with hyper metabolism. 

_This is bad, I might get late if it goes on like this_ , Peter thought as he sat on a table, playing on his phone. He hastily typed out a message and sent it to Gwen, explaining to her that he would be late. Just as he finished typing the message, the number of his order was called out. Getting up, he gave them the receipt and collected two big brown paper bags. He muttered out a thanks and left the joint, briskly walking towards his building. He dearly hoped that nothing happened before he reached there. He couldn't help it, his luck was just that bad. 

However, someone seemed to be smiling on him today, because he managed to reach his apartment without anything happening. Opening the door, a smile automatically came onto his face when he saw his girlfriend sitting on the couch, flipping through a science magazine with legs crossed. She was wearing a black full sleeves crop top, showing off her shoulders and upper back. It hugged her chest tastefully and stopped right below it, showing off her toned stomach. She wore jean shorts beneath, and it pleasantly surprised Peter that they hugged her legs just as good as the top, barely reaching her mid-thigh. Honestly, it confused Peter for a moment that just how did Gwen have those long legs when she was barely above five feet and seven inches. She also wore red lipstick, which brought out her pouty lips even more.

_Hehe......shorts. Very short shorts_ , the small pervert inside him spoke up. While years ago, he would have been a stuttering, blushing mess if his girlfriend were to dress like this in front of him. Now, Peter had learned to just accept what came his way, and Gwen just happened to be a very excellent package. 

Hots _and_ brains, you don't see many of those these days. 

Gwen looked up and gave a radiant smile upon seeing her boyfriend. She had been looking forward to their first dinner as a couple. Gwen had the foresight to see that by her entry into the hero business, the amount of time she and Peter might get would be significantly less. She would get busy with her training and job, while Peter would continue on with two jobs. The amount of common time in both of their timetables won't be enough, which is why she would savor every opportunity they would have. 

Not only that, but she had a feeling that her relationship with Peter really had potential to be something more. Her and Peter just seemed to........... _fit_ , like they were meant to be together.

Putting back the magazine in place, she got up and hugged him, pressing close and pecking his cheek. "Hey." 

Peter lamented that he couldn't hug her back, but cheered up at her greeting. "We should meet more often for dinner if this is the greeting I get," he joked, grinning back at her. 

Gwen let her eyes roam at his figure. "Not bad, but you could use some improvement Mr. Parker," she playfully commented, resting a hand on his chest. 

Internally, he rose an eyebrow. Was Gwen always bold in her relationships, or was it just him? Either way, he liked it very much. "And you look positively ravishing," he fired right back.

Gwen blushed at his compliment and averted her eyes to the bags. "Here, let me take those." 

She took them before he could protest. "If this is the greeting I get, we should have dinner more often," he remarked with a smirk.

Gwen laughed lightly as she went to arrange the table. "Peter, I'm your girlfriend. You can kiss me anytime you want." 

Peter on the other hand, was paying attention to Gwen's backside as she moved. The side by side swaying of her hips glued his eyes to the magnificent sight. He didn't know whether it was intentional or unintentional, but he wasn't complaining. Not even when she would bend over slightly, pushing out that piece of art-

He shook his head, getting back his rational thoughts. _Man, getting a girlfriend really brings out the pervert inside._

He took off his jacket, hanging it behind the door. "No offense, but I hope you wore a jacket over that." 

Gwen blinked at him as she took out the fried rice from the bag. Then she rolled her eyes and grinned, "You don't need to worry about some other guys jumping me, Peter." 

Peter shrugged and spread his arms slightly, "Hey, you can't blame me for being possessive over my girlfriend." 

After helping her arrange the food, they sat down to eat. Gwen told Peter about her day, how she had almost thrown coffee in Max's face when he startled her. Peter laughed and lightly scolded her, "You need to be more careful in future, Gwen. He's our boss, and you know what that means." 

Gwen groaned and tilted her head upwards. "Are you kidding me? I'm lucky he didn't threaten to fire me on the spot for that!" 

Peter twirled his chopsticks, playfully stealing a piece of chicken from her plate. "Max isn't really that kind of guy. Though this brings up something interesting." 

Gwen looked back at him, eyebrow raised. "What?" 

Peter put down his chopsticks and tried to look intimidating. "You seem to have forgotten my teachings. I told you to always mind your surroundings, didn't I?"

Gwen looked at her boyfriend, wondering whether he was serious or just joking. Then she slapped a hand to her mouth, struggling not to laugh at him. Because 22 years old or not, Peter trying to look intimidating was equivalent to a puppy trying frown. Peter narrowed his eyes, keeping his frown intact. "Something funny?" 

Gwen managed to suppress her chuckles, thankfully. "It's just that, it's better if you try that look with the mask on," she revealed with mirth.

Peter let his head fall down in comical depression. "Make fun of me, why don't you?" 

Gwen giggled and grasped his hand. "Come on, I'm sorry." 

Peter lifted his head with a smile. "For that, I'll be taking your chicken!" 

Like that, the dinner was spent. Peter hadn't smiled this much in a long time, and it felt rather good. Gwen had a presence to her that brought out the best in him, like Mary Jane. But unlike his previous relationship, there was a spark here- something inside him that told him that this one would turn out to be better than his previous relationship. He wanted to be with Gwen, to never leave her side. He wanted her to be with him and never leave his side. 

_Is this supposed to be love? I never felt this sort of security back when I was with MJ,_ Peter wondered, a brief bout of self-awareness creeping in. _Then again, we both had different sort of lives. Her job kept her busy for me to spend time with her, and when she was free, Spiderman took up my time. Gwen is in a better position to spend time with me, both of our jobs being the same. I really hope I can make this work._

Soon enough, they finished eating, polishing off everything that Peter had brought. Gwen lent back in her chair, let out a blissful exhale. "Whoo! That was some of the best Thai food I've had in awhile." 

Peter grinned in an easygoing manner. "Lower east has one of the best Thai restaurants in manhattan. I don't usually eat from there, but the one time I ate...........man, it reminded me of the restaurant back in my old neighborhood." 

He got up and started clearing the table, with Gwen joining him a moment later. Between the two of them, they had it cleared pretty quick, with Peter tossing out the garbage into the garbage chute. He walked back to his apartment, closing the door behind him. "So, what do you want to do now?" 

Two and a half hours later, they were on the couch, in front of his TV, watching the credits of inception. Peter enjoyed psychological thrillers; not only were some of the theories in the movies were worth researching in spare time, but sometimes they actually were inspiration for some really good ideas for his gadgets. But ever since halftime, he had been unable to pay attention to the movie. Their position on the couch had gradually changed from sitting side by side, to her resting her head on his shoulder, to him resting his legs on the couch and resting his back on the armrest,, arms wrapped around Gwen, with Gwen almost laying on top of him, her right leg resting over his legs and head resting on his chest, eyes towards the screen. 

With Gwen's occasional shifting, she was rubbing a rather sensitive area.

Needless to say, he was pretty uncomfortable downstairs. He so desperately wanted to forget about the movie and pull Gwen into a searing kiss, run his hands all over her and shift her into a more comfortable position for him. But he was afraid that that would cross boundaries, and even if he was allowed to kiss her anytime, there was no way he could hide his erection if he kissed her now. Which was why, he was currently employing all of his willpower to keep his hips away from Gwen. Finally, the movie ended, leaving them just staring at the screen. 

With a calm that that didn't manage to betray the conflict inside, he managed to sound casual. "So, what next? Shouldn't you be returning home?" 

Gwen tilted her head to look up, and Peter's brain paused at the coy expression she had on her face. If not for her eyes, he would have believed her question to be completely innocent. "Do you want me to?" 

With their faces so close, her breath tickled his nose. It was a unique smell, the Indian after-meal mouth freshener mixed with something that could only be described as Gwen. Her blues stared into his brown eyes, something like hope and expectation shining in them. Her lips were parted, and Peter suddenly realized that they both were taking rather deep breaths. Her moist lips almost beckoned to him, the primal side of his brain screaming at him to claim that mouth, followed by her entire being. He could feel both of their hearts thumping like drums.

For the first time in years, Peter found himself tongue-tied. "I do want-I mean-don't want you to-I mean-"

Surprisingly, Gwen let out a cute giggle, and to his horror, sat up straight, angling her legs such that she was straddling him, sitting right on his crotch. The look in her eyes changed completely, now radiating a surprisingly predatory gleam. It looked somewhat out of place on the normally sweet woman's face, but Peter's heart sped up in mixed excitement and fear. He held back a groan when Gwen shifted on top of him again, almost in a grinding maneuver. 

She sighed, as if mildly disappointed about something, but there was a small smile on her face. The predatory gleam shifted to a more sympathetic one, her hand tracing his frozen jaw. "Oh Peter........I don't know what happened to you in your previous relationships, but you don't need to be afraid anymore." 

Peter managed to choke out, keeping his hands on her shorts for the moment. "A-Afraid?" 

Gwen leaned forward until her face was right next to his. Her breath ghosted across his ear, a shiver going down his back. His hands shifted to Gwen's toned waistline, once he realized that his hands were lightly tracing her derriere after her change in position. "You can make the first move." 

**WARNING- START OF LEMON**

With that, Peter lost any semblance of control he had. Pushing her a bit back, he captured her mouth into a searing kiss, arms wrapping around her narrow waist.

He felt Gwen smile against his lips, and return it with equal, if not more favor. It was as if she was hungry for it. Her arms wrapped around his neck, her right hand travelling up and messing up his locks. Peter let her in once he felt her tongue asking for permission. The tongue battle that ensued was something that Peter would remember forever. He had a decent amount of experience in tongue battles; he had MJ and Felicia for former girlfriends, after all.

Gwen was somewhat new to this, because Peter's experience won out in the end when he pushed her back into her mouth, along with his own. He eagerly went tonsil fishing inside, savoring the sweet taste. The emotion and passion he felt, and he was sure that Gwen was feeling it as well, was indescribable. His hands weren't idle either, exploring her perfect body, especially the creamy skin of her perfect thighs. He brought his hands underneath, cupping her firm butt and lifting her for a moment, shifting them so that his legs rested on the floor once more, and Gwen pressed into him much more than before. 

Both being enhanced, meant they could hold their breath for much longer than an average humans, a fact Peter was thankful for as he continued to closely examine her tonsils. Gwen's hands shifted as well, one cupping Peter's cheek while the other made its way under his t-shirt, exploring his rock hard abs. Both of them kept making out for an entirety of five minutes, letting out moans, groans, growls, all kinds of sounds a couple would make during a steamy make out session. 

Finally, the need for oxygen made itself known, and they both separated. They both panted, never breaking eye contact. Then Gwen made the first move, pulling his t-shirt above his head, leaving him naked from the waist up. Her hands hungrily explored the perfect, Adonis like body, memorising each cut. It was almost as if his body was carved out from stone. 

Peter reacted immediately after Gwen started exploring his upper body. There were no thoughts running inside him at the moment, it was as if a part of his brain, the rational part, had shut down and only the primal part was in control. His left hand snaked around her waist and pulled her to him, absolutely loving the feeling of skin to skin contact. His right cupped the underside of her thigh, squeezing it and going up, groping the curve of her firm her butt cheek and returning down, continuing in this pattern and encouraging her grinding on him. 

A particularly hard grind from Gwen caused Peter to groan from his position in the crook of her neck. "Gwen," he managed to let out before resuming what he was doing. Gwen sighed in pleasure as she felt the wetness that was Peter's tongue against her skin, his teeth grazing the skin of her throat, pausing at her pulse point. He suckled at it, changing the position of his left hand from her waist to her chest. Gwen found herself getting even more excited when Peter boldly slid his hand under her top and kneaded her firm but soft breast. He ran the pad of his thumb over the already sensitive, hard nipple before teasing it between his fingers, causing her breath to hitch.

Gwen's breasts were of the perfect size and texture, Peter decided. They were large enough to be enticing, but not so much that he would lose interest. They were soft despite her durability, but firm enough to not sag, even a little. He continued playing with her nipple, building up her pleasure until it reached a point that it exploded. Gwen could have sworn that she saw stars in front of her eyes if she was coherent enough. Her legs instinctively tried to tighten around him in their sitting position, which wasn't entirely successful. Gwen was so caught up in experiencing the sensual pleasure that she barely noticed Peter getting up from the couch, picking her up and moving towards the bedroom, holding her by her firm butt. 

Peter's rationality was completely taken over by his instincts. He was no longer listening to his brain- his body was moving by its own. He gently set her down on his bed and settled himself between her legs, kissing her once more. His tongue probed her mouth, while his right hand gently massaged her under thigh. Shifting himself to the side a bit, his left hand slid down, taking its sweet time in the valley of her breasts, passing over her firm belly and stopping right on the button of her shorts. 

Even in the haze of sexual pleasure, Peter's fingers proved themselves quite efficient when he opened the button of her shorts easily. With that, he slid his hand inside, feeling the wetness in her panties as he palmed her nether lips. A simple rub from his hand caused a delicious, sensual moan to erupt from her throat. 

Gwen felt like she was drowning in a sea of pleasure. Peter's actions had already sent her over the edge once, and with the way he was rubbing her pussy, it won't be long before he did it a second time. This was the first time she was going to do this, and even though she was afraid, a large part of her felt glad that she was doing it with someone who cared for her genuinely. 

The warmth in her stomach was increasing, she was yearning for more. Her hips bucked against his hand, but Peter kept his easy pace, causing her to whimper. She finally had enough, because her hands traveled downwards, tugging impatiently at his pants. 

"It's only fair that you lose them as well," Peter's voice came out in a hoarse whisper as he leaned back, but had a teasing tilt to it. Clearly, he wanted nothing more than to give into his instincts. 

Gwen stared at him, lips a bit swollen from all the kissing they had done, face flushed. In one smooth move, she got up from the bed until they were face to face once more. Her hands grasped her top and pulled it off without hassle, but clearly in a hurry. Her breasts came free, without a bra to hold them. Peter eyes glanced downwards, a feral smirk gracing his features. Gwen let out a surprised yelp when Peter suddenly leaned forward, until her back was on the bed once more. Her chest heaved up and down with anticipation, but Peter forced his mind to focus. Grasping the shorts by her sides, making sure he had her panties as well, he slowly pulled them down, tossing them aside, leaving her in her birthday suit. 

He wasted no time to remove his own last pieces of clothing- his pants and boxers. Gwen watched in awe as she saw Peter fully naked for the first time. He looked even better than what she had imagined. She reddened as she caught his gaze, but managed not to break eye contact. 

She was impatient, and was about to pull him down to her when she saw him bending down, but not towards her face. Peter brought his face right in front of her flower, which was wet with arousal. He inhaled the delicious scent of it with his nose, burning the knowledge of it into his mind.

His hot breath on her pussy made her realize with a jerk what he was about to do. She knew what he was going to do, causing her to sit up and frantically pull at him.

"No! Peter.....!" she choked out- it was too much, to intimate and too......... _kinky_ and.....she lost her trail of thought when she felt his tongue probing on her moist, inner lips.

Heat filled her entire being, and she fell back on the bed, her hands clawing the sheet on sides of her in a death-like grip, needing something to hold on to while unconsciously, completely by instinct, spreading her legs further apart, an inviting gesture to the most intimate part of her being. 

Peter was, for the first time ever, thankful for the time he had spent with Felicia. She had taught him exactly how to pleasure a woman, and hearing Gwen's moans, he was doing it right. 

Her release was explosive, her back arching up as Peter greedily drank up her fluids, and they were just as tasty as they smelled. She went limp and light-headed, panting heavily after the ecstacy passed. She had never imagined just how good this would feel, and Peter certainly seemed to know what he was doing. 

Peter kissed his way up to her mouth. Her face was covered in a light sheen of sweat, her eyes locked onto his own. "Peter....." she could only breath against his mouth. 

His arousal, hard, hot and throbbing, nudged against her. His brown eyes seemed almost savage, and Gwen's instincts brought her hand down to wrap around his length, feeling a man's cock for the first time in her life. Peter groaned as she moved her grip up and down, with an almost curious glint in her eyes, bucking into her hand.

Peter could take no more, and he pulled her hand away from him and settled between her thighs. 

His eyes silently sought her permission, his breath moving against her nose.

"Yes," she whispered her consent, desperate with the need to feel him _inside_ her, despite this being her first time. 

Both of them groaned at the incredible, exhilarating feel. Contrary to what she had heard, the pain of him breaking her hymen wasn't that bad, or didn't even last that long. Masturbation didn't even compare to how Peter's length stretched her. 

Peter felt every snug, hot inch of her around him, her muscles clenching him delightfully. Gripping her hips to brace her, he pushed deeper, penetrating as deep as he could. Gwen's eyes were shut, her breath coming out in short gasps as she realized that Peter had hit her womb. An indescribably, intense pleasure coursed through her being. 

Her legs widened to accommodate him better, his powerful hips. He drew out and thrust back deep inside her, repeating the process until he picked up speed, a confident rhythm. Emotions were riding higher than ever, and both of them knew that after this, they wouldn't be able to let go of each other. 

Their bond was on a different league altogether, compared to their previous relationships. 

Heartbeat and breathing picked up, and their gazes never wavered from each other. Gwen's pupils were dilated with pleasure as he thrusted in and out, harder and faster. He couldn't contain his frenzy, a desire that he long wished to fulfill.

While she could only clutch his hands to brace herself, Peter's hands were everywhere. He revered in the soft texture of her body beneath him, the soft skin of her thighs now wrapped around his hips, her perfect breasts brushing against his chest with each puch; her hard nipples sending an occasional shiver along his skin. 

Her hands found his face and pulled him into a kiss with her that didn't last long. She wanted to taste everything- his mouth, neck, shoulders. Her hands shifted from his shoulders to his back, pulling him flush to her as her legs pushed him deep within. She wouldn't know until the next morning the impressive scratches on his upper back. 

Soon enough both of them were reaching the edge once more. The aching pleasure in her stomach needing to be released, to bring her a relief that she never tasted before. Peter's pace increased as his movements turned jerky, his desperation equal to Gwen's. 

It was through sheer willpower that he managed to fish out some of his rational thinking, enough to ask her. "Gwen, should I.......?"

Gwen understood what he was asking, and she gripped him even tighter, with her hands, her legs and her inner walls. She managed to gasp out as well, "Inside.........I'm on pill........AH!" 

That was all Peter needed before he drove powerfully inside for one last time, filling her, pressing the preise spot inside her that sent her into a quivering, her powerful muscles spasming violently around his length, her legs falling like bags of potatoes on his sides. Peter stiffened as well, releasing his load inside her, crying out with her. For Gwen, it felt like torrents of seed spilling inside her, filling her up to the brim. It was hot, and yet, so completely satisfying. It was such an overwhelming pleasure that her toes curled inwards.

A weight that he didn't even know was on his being got lifted, and he slackened on top of her. He pressed lazy kisses on her mouth, her cheek, her neck, rubbing his nose in her neck, The words spilled out of his mouth in a gasp before he could stop them, the emotion being too powerful to stop. "I love you......"

His brain kicked back into gear just as the words escaped, and he couldn't stop the stiffening of his body. For all he knew, he might have ruined their relationship entirely by speaking those words. 

So it came as a shock, followed by a massive relief when she replied. "I love you too........"

Gwen didn't have any energy left to do anything but lay there. Shock coursed through her when Peter uttered those words, but a smile broke out on her face. She had no problem letting him know that she felt the same, and had for quite some time. "I love you too......"

Both of them were worn out, and Peter rolled off of her, not releasing his hold around her and hauling her to his side, tucking her head against his shoulder. Before he could speak anything else, Gwen finally dozed off, giving in to exhaustion. 

Peter gazed at her sleeping face, her lipstick smudged across her mouth, and he was sure that across even his mouth. Her lips were puffy from the uncountable kisses, face still flushed, and her usually arranged hair in a wild disarray. As much as Peter liked seeing Gwen dressed up for him, he liked this wild look on her even more. 

Pressing a soft kiss to her forehead, he pulled over the blankets on them, and quietly ordered KAOS to lower the temperature. He leaned back into the pillows with a sigh as cool air washed over his and Gwen's bodies.

His heartbeat was slowly turning to normal, and he closed his eyes. He still go a few more rounds, but Gwen's endurance had to be built first for that. He needed to sleep before his "little buddy" woke up once more. 

Applying a breathing exercise Matt had taught him, he slowly calmed himself down to sleep.

**END OF LEMON**

XXXXXXX 

Morning arrived much sooner than Peter liked, and he found his eyes fluttering open, the cause being his body having fully recovered from exhaustion from the previous night's activities. 

Memories soon flooded in his brain, and he couldn't stop a face-splitting grin from making its appearance. Last night was one of the, no, _the best_ night that he had spent with a girl. The relief he had gotten from the release.........Peter didn't know he was _that_ wound up. 

The best part was that Gwen returned his feelings! Her response had brought a sense of peace to him that couldn't be put into words. 

Gwen was now a part of him, and he wouldn't have it any other way. 

Pushing his thoughts aside for the moment, he noticed for the first time that his face was buried in the back of her neck. He took a deep breath, relishing the scent of his partner. He was spooning her, he realized. 

He was hugging her stomach from behind, his hand overlapped by Gwen's. Her other hand was supporting her head as she peacefully dozed.

Peter just smiled as he pushed the sheets off him and gently escaped from her hold. He wasn't about to fall asleep again, and he refused to wake her up with his morning wood pushing into her backside.

Might as well prepare some breakfast. 

Gwen had perhaps the best sleep she had in years. Her consciousness slowly came back as her eyes opened. For a moment, she simply lay on the bed, mind completely empty of thoughts. Then she became aware of her current position. 

She was naked, under covers, in someone else's room, and there was a pleasant ache in between her legs. She sat up, her eyes widening in panic, until her brain finally rebooted, and memories of last night came flooding back in. 

Relief flooding back in, she dropped back on the bed, exhaling in relief. "Wow," she breathed out once it fully hit her just how life changing the events of last night were. 

She sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, which fell upon a neatly folded piece of cloth on the bedside table. 

She freshened up and put on the cloth, which was just an oversized full sleeves t-shirt that reached to her mid-thighs. Despite being naked last night with Peter, she still put on her panties, a sudden shyness hitting her. 

Walking out, she saw Peter, fully clothed, sitting on her immediate right on the dining table, eating bacon and pancakes. He looked up, and gave her a smile after seeing her. Gulping down, he gestured to the seat in front of him. "Breakfast is ready." 

Gwen smiled back and sat down on the chair, helping herself to the breakfast. Both of them ate quietly for a while, enjoying the breakfast. Once everything was finished, neither of them got up right away to clean the dishes. They just looked at each other.

Peter made the first move to break the slowly building awkwardness. He reached out and put his hand on hers, a hint of worry on his face. "Was I too rough last night?" 

Gwen was surprised by the question, but recovered quickly. She shook her head, "Not at all. You were," her cheeks reddened as she recalled the powerful thrusts made by Peter and averted her eyes, "incredible." 

Peter gave a roguish grin at that, taking pride in the fact. "I was, wasn't I?" 

He was amused by the fact that despite how wild they were last night, Gwen was still shy and easily embarrassed. Gwen practically begged him, "Can we please not talk about sex right now?" 

Peter shrugged nonchalantly, leaning back in his chair. "Sure. What do you want to talk about?" 

Gwen got an almost evil look in her eyes. "My dad wants to meet you." 

The smile dropped from Peter's face in an instant. Meeting his girlfriend's dad, huh? 

In the end, he just shrugged. Just how bad can it be anyway? 

XXXXXXX 

Peter was smiling as he shook hands with senior surgeon Dr. O'hara, along with Stephen Strange and Christine Palmer. Two days after he and Gwen first made love, Max had called him to his office and informed him that his prosthesis is finally going to be tested onto a human and he was to get it ready. A 55-year old retired Colonel named Mason Roberts, a man who didn't have his right arm from his shoulder onwards, had volunteered for the first human trial, and Peter had been called to witness the procedure along with the other two. 

He had prepared the arm according to the Colonel's required specifications, and had given it to the surgeon who was gonna attach it, accompanying him into the OT. 

During the entire operation, he had been restless. His movements were careful, confident, but stiff. He assisted Dr. O'hara in permanently attaching the arm to the Colonel's body. Since the prosthesis was to be permanently bonded to the body, some changes had to be made. Peter was thankful that the Colonel was unconscious for the procedure, because his shoulder stump had to be rearranged. Finally, after a gruelling three hours, the prosthesis was fully attached to the body, to his nerves, powered by the electrical impulses in the human body. As long as the man was alive, the arm would move for him. 

The nervousness and anxiety he went through was completely worth it when he saw the Colonel looking at his new arm in complete wonder and awe. He had broken out in tears, because he finally had an arm. It was identical in shape and size, except it was robotic. Peter had breathed a sigh of relief when all the post procedure tests revealed that the arm operated just like the other arm. Honestly speaking, Peter felt great and light-hearted to have finally finished what he had started with Octavius. Maybe, he would visit the man and tell him that his research had finally done what it was supposed to do.

"Dr. Parker, I'm proud to have worked with you. Your enhancement in human prosthesis and neurotechnology would no doubt, help the disabled in the world stand on a better leg," Dr. O'hara said, shaking his hand with a smile. 

"Honestly, I'm glad I was able to do this service to humanity," Peter said, pulling back his hand. "And it wasn't just me, doctor. It was my whole team in the Horizon labs that get the credit as well. Without them, I doubt I would have been able to finish it this soon." 

That wasn't completely wrong. Sure, his team helped a lot, but he would have arrived at this point by himself without their help just fine. It was just important to give credit to those who helped. 

Christine walked forward, pulling him into a bear hug and asking excitedly. "Peter, you were great! How did it feel to be in the OT?" 

Peter chuckled as he pulled back. "To be frank, I'd rather remain in the labs. I just can't deal with the stress inside that room." 

Christine just waved the comment away. "Happens to everyone on first time! It gets easier the more repeatedly you do it. In fact, you were better than Stephen in his first attempt. For all his genius, he was terrified that he might screw up," she revealed with a sly smile.

"I was not," the mentioned doctor huffed indignantly as he strolled forward. "Dr. Parker, for your first time in the OT, that was rather impressive. But your work..........it is something that people will remember you forever," he said, speaking completely in a formal language. 

Peter shook his head with a smile. "I didn't do it for credit, Dr. Strange. I did it so people like the colonel inside can live better lives." 

Stephen was about to say something, but thought the better of it. "Very well," he admitted in a grudging tone of respect, "but you should take pride that you were able to accomplish something of this magnitude at such a young age such as yours." 

"I am proud, and I insist that you call me Peter. Dr. Parker is a mouthful." 

"............Then you can call me Stephen." 

Peter smiled, "Very well. I hope we can work together sometime in the future, Stephen." 

Stephen gave a rare, genuine smile. "I hope so as well. Now, we must take our leave. Good day, Peter." 

Shaking hands for the last time, Stephen walked away. Christine also shook his hand, and hugged him one more time. She pat his back, "Keep up the great work!" 

All in all, it was a pretty damn good start for a day. 

XXXXXXX 

It was afternoon, and Peter was sitting outside a cafe, drinking decaf. His eyes were fixed onto the person sitting in front of him, a neutral expression on his face. It wasn't that he wasn't happy to see her, but he didn't know what to say now that he was in a relationship once more. "That was a rather long time you spent over there...........how are you MJ?" 

Mary Jane Watson looked just as radiant and beautiful when she and Peter had last seen each other. She wore her usual work clothes, but her nervous demeanor was completely out of character for her. She hadn't drunk even one sip of her coffee, instead nervously focusing on it. She was silent for a long moment before she replied. "I'm good, Peter. How about you?" 

Peter frowned at her. She wasn't as cheerful as she used to be. Perhaps the civil war in Symkaria had an adverse effect on her psyche? He decided to keep the conversation as positive as he could. "Never been better, MJ."

Mary Jane internally winced at the casual reply. It was a clear indicator that Peter had moved on from her. Though she couldn't fault Peter for moving on from her, a part of her still ached to be close to him. "I mean, you've been rather busy. You even took on a new partner." 

Peter smiled as he drummed the table with his fingers. "I prefer to call her my student. She's not my partner, not now at least." 

Mary Jane gave a small smile. "You must have been training her pretty hard." 

Peter slowly nodded. "The actual training has yet to begun. She shouldn't have been standing against Aleksei that day."

Mary Jane decided to stop playing around the bush. "Peter, about our break up," she paused, looking for any reaction from the man across her. But Peter merely looked at her in curiosity, silently asking her to continue. "I really didn't mean for it to be so sudden. I wanted to break it to you slowly, but I was afraid! Afraid that we wouldn't be friends any longer. I really want to know- are you alright?" 

She was desperate for an answer. She had been in all her time in Symkaria. It pained her to let go of Peter without even telling him why, but she lacked the courage at that point. Peter sighed, "MJ.......I'm more than fine. Sure, it hurt for some time, but I've learned to put things like that behind me. Honestly, I sort of expected it, with both of us being so busy and all." 

Mary Jane slowly nodded, trying to not let the hurt show. Peter expected her to break up with him? Was she that consistent with breaking up with him? 

She wanted him to take her back, but it seemed that she really did take his forgiving nature for granted every time. A small, but selfish part of her was convinced that Peter would always come back to her, but he seemed to have changed. "So........any new developments?" 

Peter smiled that calming smile of his. "Well, aside from making a breakthrough in prosthesis and stopping Norman Osborn for good, nothing much. I intend to start working on stabilizing the Devil's breath," he raised a hand to stop her from interrupting, "make it work like it was supposed to. If I succeed.............Harry could come back to us." 

As far as both of them had drifted, Harry was still their best friend. Mary Jane slowly nodded, worry growing inside her. She still had nightmares from Devil's breath, and Peter working with it didn't exactly appeal to her. Still, he was perhaps the only person in the world who could help their friend. 

Peter looked at his phone, noting the time. "Wow, time passes quick," he remarked, getting up and putting on his jacket, "We'll have to talk later, MJ. I gotta go." 

"Wait, where are you going?!"

Peter gave an excited grin. "I got a date." 

With that, he left Mary Jane sitting on the table, a cold cup of untouched coffee in her hands. She finally let the tears fall- the knowledge that Peter had truly moved on from her hit her like a train. She would try to be happy for her friend, but it would be an uphill climb, letting go of him. 

A small part of her whispered to her, and it only spurred on her tears. 

_You only have yourself to blame._

XXXXXXX 

Peter sat in Nocello, an Italian restaurant in Midtown, in front of the now retired Captain George Stacy, a cool expression on his face that was in contrast to the narrow eyed, almost-bordering-on-a-glare expression on the Captain's face. When Gwen said that her father wanted to meet him, Peter knew he would be going up against an old friend of Spiderman's, George Stacy. He was a friendly guy, and one of the very few guys that Peter liked on the police force. But he could see it, plain as day, that currently, an overprotective father was sitting in front of him.

But he was Spiderman, and he refused to be intimidated. 

Gwen had told him that the entire family would be there, so he needed to make a good impression. Peter chose to go semi-formal, a white V-neck with blue jeans, and a navy blue blazer with brown lining on the pockets. Gwen introduced him to her family, which consisted of her, her parents and her two younger brothers who were in high school. Gwen was wearing a lovely sleeveless flared skirt with a blue floral pattern, stopping at her knees. Her hair was done as usual, and she had make up done as well.

It was a shame he couldn't kiss her in front of her family.

The introduction of names was quite polite, and Peter was rather surprised that the Stacy family wanted to meet him at a restaurant. Nonetheless, Peter took care to be cautious, but not overly so. Just when he'd arrived by bus, George suspiciously remarked. "You're late." 

That was because he'd arrived only two minutes before meeting time. Peter had calmly replied, "I prefer the term "cautiously early", Mr. Stacy." 

Needless to say, he'd beed disgruntled somewhat since then, a bit . Currently, they were waiting for their orders to arrive. Gwen's eyes were nervously darting between Peter and her father. Knowing how overboard her father could be sometimes, she wanted to sit next to Peter just in case. But her father "suggested" that Peter sit with her brothers, to "get to know them, since he already knows Gwen." 

Gwen had gotten angry at that and was about to tell him that she would sit next to her boyfriend, but Peter replied with all the cool in the world. "Sure, I'd love to." 

Gwen watched as Peter easily conversed with her brothers, turning the awkwardness of teenage into an excited talk. Her father kept his eyes on Peter all the time, but Peter was too absorbed in his conversation with her brothers. Gwen knew what her dad was trying to do- he was trying to find faults in Peter.

"So," her father began suddenly, silencing the whole table. "Where did you meet my daughter?" 

Peter smiled. "We work in the same building, sir." 

The short but precise answer caused George to stiffen. Normally, he was all for stop-beating-around-the-bush approach, but even though his smile was sincere, George took it as a mock. But at least that answered that the boy was well off financially.

"Where do you live?" 

"Lower East side."

"Since when have you been dating my daughter?" 

"Six days." 

At that, George leveled an accusatory look on Gwen. "And you haven't told me!" 

Gwen rolled her eyes at him. "We wanted to make sure this was serious before telling you." 

The look leveled at him this time was a full glare. "Who gave you permission to date my daughter?" 

It was at this point where Mrs. Stacy stepped in, slapping her husband's arm. "That's enough out of you, George! Gwen doesn't need your permission to date someone she likes. She's an adult who can make her own decisions, and she certainly doesn't need your permission to do so!" 

Even though her tone was of light scolding and reprimand, George Stacy fully flinched from his wife's rebuke. But he wasn't a police captain for nothing, because he quickly recovered. "But Helen, he's dating my baby girl! How can I just-" 

That was all he got out before Mrs. Stacy silenced him by just glaring at him. Gwen groaned in embarrassment and put her head in her hands, while her brothers snickered at their dad being schooled by their mom. Peter just watched the bickering with growing amusement, which he didn't bother to hide when George glared at him for being amused at his situation. 

Their orders arrived, and they took their shares while sharing it with others as well. Mrs. Stacy continued to berate the captain, "Honestly, I can already tell that Gwen has a nice taste in men. Peter seems a well mannered young man, so you needn't worry." 

But George wasn't deterred from his path at all. If anything, he was fired up even more. But he was sensible enough not to make it sound like an interrogation, but normal conversation. "So Peter," he began, causing Peter pause and look up, "what do you do in your spare time?" 

"I like to tinker with old tech," Peter decided to go with a half truth, since he very well couldn't reveal what he really did. "People leave so much usable tech in the garbage, I just can't help myself." 

He caught Gwen's lip twitching upwards at his answer, and he looked away before he started snickering as well. George was looking at him with a contemplative look, devoid of any suspicion. "You don't have any interest in physical activities?" 

Peter gave an easy smile, "I like to do some free-running every once in a while." 

"No way!" Simon, Gwen's second brother exclaimed, an excited look on his face. "Do you really do Parkour?!" 

Peter reigned himself in before he could make an extremely lame pun. "I know a few tricks," he said at last. 

"Any family residing here, in NYC?" 

Peter turned from Simon to face George. Memories of loved ones who had passed away hit him full force, but he kept it from showing on his face. He replied with a smile, "My parents, aunt and uncle." 

George continued eating, trying to appear as if he still wasn't interrogating the boy. He needed to be thorough with his questioning before he allowed Gwen and him to see each other. "And what are they doing currently?" 

"Resting in their graves." 

That stopped all manner of conversation on the table, and Peter himself was surprised just how easily he was able to say that. He knew that he had moved on from his past, but thinking about Ben and May still dampened his mood. Everyone looked at him first, and Peter feared that he would get pitying looks, but it wasn't to be since everyone turned to look at George, who had frozen in between his bite. Gwen and her mother were glaring at him, while Simon and Philip had grim looks on their faces. Peter continued eating however, otherwise the food would get cold. 

"I-I'm sorry-" 

Peter waved it away, "It's alright. You didn't know and plus, I've moved on."

Everyone slowly relaxed and thankfully, George stopped asking questions after that. The dinner progressed smoothly after that, with everyone making small talks. Soon, they were done and Peter and George paid the bill together. As they exited the restaurant, George put a hand on his shoulder. "Look Peter, I apologize for the.........cold shoulder treatment," he looked back to his family, the female members of which were still glaring at him. He hastily turned back to Peter, who had a small smile on his face, "But you have to understand my position as Gwen's father. I have to make sure-" 

"I understand your position Mr. Stacy," Peter interrupted, crossing his arms. "Every father is pretty much the same in regards to their daughter." 

George looked relieved that Peter had forgiven him, and led him to their family. Peter shook hands with Mrs. Stacy, fist bumped Simon and Philips and hugged Gwen. When he shook hands with George, George smiled as he applied above normal strength in his grip, as if trying to crush Peter's hand. He had quite a strong grip, according to his colleagues. "Don't hurt my daughter, or I'll kill you," he whispered with a cold look, turned away from the family. 

Peter had the feeling that George was trying to crush his hand, and was highly amused by the effort. He couldn't feel anything at all, but it was the look on George's face that got to him. The smile dropped from his face as he mirrored the expression on the other man's face. Applying a tiny bit of his strength, he was internally pleased to see the wince on the older man's face. "You don't need to worry about that."

That was all he said before turning and walking away. He smirked when he heard George getting scolded once more, much more harshly this time, for threatening to kill him. No doubt, Gwen had heard what was going on and told her mother. 

Peter smiled as he walked towards an alley. Things were actually looking up for him now. Just one more thing left to do for the night. 

XXXXXXX 

He was just walking home from the FEAST shelter after a hard day of work. Working at FEAST was much better than his previous job- he actually felt he was doing something good for the community, instead of just working for profit. 

"Nice evening, isn't it?" 

He turned around abruptly at the voice which was suddenly behind him. He put a hand on his heart, "Jesus Christ! You almost gave me a heart attack, Peter!" 

Peter smiled at the man in front of him. "Sorry, but I wanted to ask you something." 

If he wanted to help Harry, he need this man's help. "What is it, Peter?" 

"How would you like to work with me on stabilizing GR-27, Dr. Michaels?" 


	11. Important Note

Hey guys! It's been a long time!

I'm writing this as a reply to those reviewers who have been expecting a sequel for this story. Well, I got news for you guys. 

I'm working on the storyline for the sequel for some time now. The reason I haven't posted in a long time is I have been focusing on my other story on Fanfiction.net. Not only that, but my exams are literally at my doorstep. 

There are a few kinks that I have been working out for the sequel. Once they're worked and solved, I will post it. The post could be updated from anywhere in between late December to early January. I want you guys to have just a little more patience. Reward comes to those who wait, after all. 

Also, I want to thank everybody who read this story. The responses were extremely joyful to read, to find out that my idea was quite original. You guys are hardcore fans of Spider-man fandom, and to hear from such people that "FINALLY! I found a fic that doesn't have a baby Spider-man!" really just blew my mind.

Some people are saying that my version of Spider-man is a little too perfect. What's wrong with that? Marvel made the character relatable by making him a common face among the masses, but never gave him the life he really deserved. Living by morals is good and all, but once in a while you gotta be realistic and pragmatic. Peter made the choice to work for Horizon and is now living a comfortable life, balancing his normal and superhero life with little problem.

My point is, Peter Parker has the potential to _not_ live as a vagabond, but Marvel won't ever give him that.

Ok, I'll be going now. Hope you keep safe! Happy winters!


	12. Chapter 12

Alright guys! The sequel for the story is up!


End file.
